#anyways. I love. being pleasantly surprised by people I have been hesitant to interact with

[just-let-me-eat-dirt]

coworker accurately recognized that I was going to have an episode of some kind and told me to step outside and take a break ... angels real and shine through Us

[platoniclokiimagines]

okay so I just found this blog and I *live* for platonic relationships. I was wondering how the avengers would react to loki being BEST friends with the reader? they've been friends for centuries, it was never really brought up before, avengers are in the distrustful/warming up phase after New York happened. reader just shows up one day, thor says she's a friend, but she's really close with loki? Loki is being nice? [sorry if too long or too similar to something else the idea wouldn't let me be]

WC: 797

Rating: G

TW: None

A/N: This is kinda short, but it’s sweet and to the point, and also maybe bonus points for being kinda funny? Anyways, I hope you enjoy~

When Thor had invited you to come to Midgard to see aboutjoining with the Avengers, you had been torn. On the one hand, you had neverbeen anywhere but Asgard, and while you wanted to see somewhere new andexperience what life would be like among the mortals, you were a little worriedthat you wouldn’t fit in and would be out of place amongst everyone else.

But on the other hand, you really wanted to see your best friend.

In the grand scheme of your life, you supposed it reallyhadn’t been that long since you had seen Loki, but even ten years was a longtime for an Asgardian to go without seeing someone they cared about, and sowhen Thor asked you the second time to come down, even if it was just for avisit, you said yes.

And now here you were, standing awkwardly in the middle ofthe room while a dozen other people studied you with varying levels ofcuriosity, desperately hoping the attention would be off you long enough sothat you could find Loki to say hello.

“Everyone, this is Y/N. She’s a friend from home. I thoughtyou all might like to meet her, and see what she can do. There’s nobody quitelike her on the battlefield.”

You blushed a bit, and waved a hand dismissively. “Hardly.I’m just tiny and fast.”

That got a couple of laughs out of a few of the otherswatching you, and you relaxed a little, feeling a little less self-conscious.

“Well, Y/N, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Steve. I’m not… surehow much Thor told you about all of us, but we’re very happy to have you hereas long as you want to stay.” He extended his hand, and you took it, shaking itlike how you’d seen Thor do when he’d come in earlier.

“…I appreciate it.” You nodded once, and glanced around theroom, which didn’t go unnoticed by Steve.

“Something the matter?”

“Just… looking for someone.”

“Oh, yeah?” Steve smiled pleasantly at you.

“Yeah. Do you know where Loki might be?”

That seemed to surprise him a little bit, and the rest ofthe room went silent as they looked back at you.

“…is that a problem?” you asked, confused as to why theywould have a reaction like this to someone they work with.

“No problem. We just… As I’m sure you know, Loki’s madesome… questionable decisions, in the past, and let’s just say our trust hasn’tbeen earned yet.” A redheaded lady spoke from where she stood leaned backagainst the wall, and you nodded slowly.

“I get that. Loki’s the God of Mischief, I’d be surprised ifthey hadn’t been up to some deviousthings.” You smiled tightly, hoping to diffuse the tension you’d inadvertentlycaused, but before anyone could say anything else on the matter, you heard afamiliar voice.

“Y/N?!”

In true Loki fashion, Loki had appeared seemingly out ofthin air next to Thor, and you beamed at them, immediately running to greetthem as they did the same. You practically collided in a hug, laughing at howridiculous the two of you must look.

“Loki, it’s so good to see you! It feels like it’s been ages.” You couldn’t stop smiling, absolutely thrilled to have your best friend back.

“I agree.” They drew back then, holding you at arm’s lengthas they studied you. “Look at you, you look well. Healthy.”

“I am. And better, now that I get to see you again.” Therewas so much that you wanted to say, but you hesitated when you noticed Steveand several of the others watching the interaction with bemused interactions.“…is something the matter?”

“No, I just… don’t think anyof us have seen Loki behave this nicely.” Steve actually smiled a bit atthat, and you had to, as well.

“My brother has alwayshad a soft spot for Y/N. Like the sister we never had.” Thor nodded in acomically sage manner, and you couldn’t help but to roll your eyes, alreadyanticipating the bickering you were about to witness.

“Yes, well, Y/N would have been much better to grow up withthan you, you big oaf.”

“That’s not fair, we did everythingtogether,” Thor whined, pouting dejectedly.

“Yes, and I still like her better. Think about that for awhile, yes?”

“Look, you’re bothidiots and you’re both loved. Stop fighting or I’ll drop-kick the both of you,”you declared, effectively ceasing their arguing.

“Yes, Y/N,” they replied in obedient unison, almost too innocent smiles on their faces, andthe room erupted into laughter as the redheaded lady approached you with agrin.

“Y/N… I think we’re going to get along great.”

[early2000smovieimagines]

Meeting and Dating Sirius Black

(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)

(For future reference, you can also request for marauders era Sirius and Remus but you’ll have to specify in the request since I’ll just write for their characters in the movies if you don’t. )

- You and Sirius meet though the Order. You were a trusted confidante of Moody; which is an accomplishment in of itself, and a talented witch, so when the group was being formed, you were almost immediately invited to join. 

- Like any rational person would be, you were a bit nervous upon meeting the formerly Azkaban imprisoned Animagus. Your mind ran wild with assumptions and visions of the neurotic individual that took up the front page of the daily bugle; more than once, so when you entered the room and found a freshly washed, neat, and charming individual, you were almost in disbelief. 

- It was fascinating to see how different he looked, calmly stood in a room full of people, unchained, and in regular clothing. He was handsome, which is a word you never expected to associate with Sirius Black of all people; though you’d certainly heard rumors of his attractiveness. 

- And you, my dear, are beautiful. Sirius really hasn’t been in contact with anyone for the past thirteen years, let alone a pretty, young woman such as yourself, so the minute he sees you, his heart skips a beat. 

- Perhaps if he’d had time to brush off his old charms; or if they were never put on the shelf to begin with, he would have been able to throw you a line or two, but you completely caught him off guard. Because of this, he was merely able to give you a nod and a handsome smile after the two of you were introduced. 

- The two of you don’t talk a lot at first but over time you do start to warm up to each other. And warm up you do....

- You start having those heat-inducing interactions, the ones with the cheeky comments and the flirting and the innuendos. All of its done away from the group and in close proximity of each other, and sometimes it feels as though you can hardly breath with how smoldering his demeanor can be. 

- Every now and again, he’ll find you in the living room late at night and you’ll share a few drinks until you’re both pleasantly warm. You like each others company, you like your conversations, and you can feel yourselves growing closer by the day. 

- It’s probably a bad idea for the two of you to be together; especially right now, but when has Sirius ever let what’s “bad” stop him from something he’s wanted to do?

- So, he approaches you one day and; in a surprisingly nervous fashion, asks you out, assuring you that you don’t have to if you don’t want to and that he would understand but that he’d be honored if you’d join him for dinner.

- Well, of course you agree, and soon enough, you find yourself having a nice and comfortable dinner with him at the Grimmauld place. The two of you talk and get to know each other, and he starts to feel more confident, getting back a bit more of his flirty charms as the night goes on. And there you have it, the beginning of something beautiful.

- Let’s pretend that he lived shall we; since we all already do that anyway, the two of you kissed a few months into your relationship, mainly because you didn’t have a whole lot of time to spend with each other.

- The group is planning a big mission and you’re saying goodbye the night before it’s supposed to happen. And there's so much that you both want to say but you cant find the words and so, finally, he just leans in and kisses you soft and slow. When he pulls away, he kisses your cheek and says goodnight, and you go to bed praying that everything will go as planned.

- He did his waiting, and now he’s found his soulmate ...so perhaps it was worth it in the end.

- The amount of Pda that the two of you get into really depends on what the world is like at the time.

- Considering the fact that he really can’t be seen in public; for risk of being imprisoned again, your pda consists of him licking your hand, brushing up against your legs, and putting his head in your lap as you pet him between his ears.

- If we’re imagining a world where he isn’t a fugitive then he’d be much more touchy. A hand on your thigh here, a tight hug there; little things that let him feel your presence and know that you’re there.

- Touch starved; twelve years in the most brutal prison of the wizarding world will do that to you. You should see the way he leans into your touch, it’s enough to make you melt.

- His hand on the small of your back or gripping your waist whenever you’re standing together.

- He likes to take one of your hands in his whenever the two of you sit together, usually pairing it with eye contact and a few quiet, romantic words.

- Sitting in his lap.

- Tight hugs.

- Temple and head kisses.

- Your kisses are going to be somewhat clumsy at first, he’s obviously going to be a bit rusty but he gets the hang of it again very quickly.

- Darling, angel, dearest, love, my lovely. You practically get a new pet name everyday.

- He holds you close at night, spooning you so tight that you can hardly move at times. He holds you as though he’s afraid he might lose you, likes you’ll disappear if he doesn’t.

- Sometimes he twitches, whimpers, fidgets, his grip tightening, and his face burrowing into your neck; it’s how you know he’s having some kind of bad dream.

- Gifts. It makes him happy to give you things, to be able to provide for you and make you happy. It feels very domestic; it’s just what he needs.

- Long conversations.

- Sitting together as you bathe. It’s not even a sexual thing; though it can be, you’re just comfortable with each other. You talk, you joke, and you tell each other about your days. It’s relaxing.

- Firelit evenings spent drinking wine and enjoying each other’s company.

- Spending most of your time inside. He’s on the run; if you haven’t noticed, so you’ll have to make do and enjoy what you can.

- Ignoring Kreachers insulting mutterings. You occasionally have to hold Sirius back from throttling the ignorant creature.

- Stargazing and walking around together at night.

- Having dinner together.

- He’s still got some youthfulness to him so the two of you get into your fair share of adventures. He still enjoys a good bit of fun from time to time.

- Visiting Hogsmeade for a bit of nostalgia once everything is over. You both love and hate seeing him there: you love the twinkle of fond memories in his eyes yet hate the melancholy smile that inevitably paints his lips during your trip.

- Listening to stories about his younger days. How fun James was, how they tormented Snivellus, how awful his family was. Occasionally, he’ll trail off sadly and you’ll just kiss his cheek, giving him a tight hug as he assures you he’s fine.

- Harry coming to stay with you over the summer. You’re practically his godmother by now.

- Having Remus and Tonks over a lot. You and the woman become good friends and him and Remus enjoy sitting back and watching their girls. 

- Surprise visits, albeit usually by a black dog scratching at your front door.

- He loves your infatuation with his tattoos. The feeling of your fingers on them or your hand splayed out on his chest is the best in the world.

- Playing with his hair as he lays his head on you.

- Cooking for and taking care of him. He deserves to have someone doting on him after all he’s been through, doesn’t he?

- Lazy mornings spent in bed. He likes pressing a few soft kisses to your shoulders after he wakes up.

- Lots of jokes, many of them dog related. He always has you laughing.

- Smartass comments. You occasionally have to keep him in line; you don’t need someone killing him just because he can’t keep his mouth shut.

- You keep the peace between him and a lot of people. He’s got his fair share of enemies or just people that he doesn’t get along with, and you do your best to ensure that things don’t erupt between them.

- Catching him up on everything that's happened.

- Comforting him during hard times.

- The instant you’re upset or insecure, he senses it and is on your ass, comforting you and giving you words of wisdom. He can always make you feel better.

- He’s not an incredibly jealous person but he does have his moments. He’s surprisingly good at holding his tongue when it comes down to it. He’ll just take you aside later and tell you that he loves you, needing to hear you say it back without any hesitation.

- He’s very protective when he needs to be. He’ll do whatever he has to to ensure your safety. He’s not going to lose anyone else if he can help it.

- Even prior to your actual relationship, you were definitely followed around by a shaggy black dog; whether you were aware of who it was or not. He just wanted to make sure you were alright, and he was bored.

- The two of you really don’t have a lot of fights. He reserves his jackassery for other people so he doesn’t have too much left when it comes to you.

- Whenever you do argue, he apologizes fairly quickly. He hates fighting with you and he wants your little argument to be over as soon as possible, even if that means swallowing his pride and saying sorry.

- There’s quite a few I love yous in your relationship. He loves the smile you get when he says those three little words, and he adores hearing them from you.

- After everything he’s been through, he just wants a nice, happy, quiet life. One that wouldn’t be complete without you.

[ordinaryschmuck]

Why I (Want to) Love Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure

Salutations random people on the internet who most likely won’t read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

When I heard Disney was making an animated series based on Tangled, acting as a continuation from the original movie, my initial thought was, "Why?"

Sure, Disney is infamous for its unnecessary sequels of the story after happily ever after, with the many, many, many failures that follow suit. Even then, though, most of these continuations were movies that kind of have the potential to tell more of a story. But what more could be said about Tangled? Sorry to spoil a movie that's over ten years old at this point, but by the end of it: Rapunzel lost her golden hair, was reunited with her parents, fell in love, and lived happily ever after. Her losing the golden hair is the most essential part of that list because how can you do a series based on a Disney princess when her most iconic feature is gone? Then I found out that the series forced a way for her hair to come back, and my new initial thought became, "Oh man. This is gonna suck, isn't it?"

Despite the hesitation, I decided to give it a chance anyway. After all, I've been pleasantly surprised before. Things like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, and even The Owl House (yes, really), were shows (and a movie) that I didn't think would be that special. Only to find myself enjoying nearly every minute. So after watching Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, I can certainly say I was surprised...but it was entirely for the wrong reasons.

And to explain how requires spoilers. So if you haven't checked the series out yet, I highly suggest you do it to form your own opinion. Just keep in mind that it's a bit of a mess, but it can be an enjoyable mess...sometimes...let me explain.

WHAT I LIKED

The Animation/Art Style: The series swapping from 3D to 2D might have been the most brilliant decision anyone could have ever made with this series. Usually, when an animated movie gets turned into a show, the most noticeable downgrade is always the animation. Whether it’s not as detailed or not as fluid, it's always subjective that the movie is better animated than the series. But by switching up the styles, the contrast becomes objective instead. 2D and 3D animation each have their pros and cons, so deciding which one is better is nothing more than a matter of opinion. So by changing the style, Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure avoids getting complaints of being a downgrade from the original movie. It also helps that the art style of the series is really unique.

The best way to describe how the show looks is that it's like a coloring book brought to life. At times, everything looks like it was drawn and colored in with crayons, which sounds like an insult, but in actuality, it's one of the best features of the series. As much as I love most animated shows nowadays, I will admit, they all look a little too similar at times. Then here comes Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, which tries to incorporate a whole new style that successfully sets it apart from most shows.

As for the animation itself, it's really well-made! It's remarkably expressive when required, while the movements are really fluid during the correct scenes. Sure the fighting can be a little floaty during some action set pieces (yes, those exist here), but the dialogue and comedic moments are really where the series shines with its animation. I may have problems with the series as a whole, but I give credit where credit is due for the perfectly executed effort that I see in every episode in terms of animation.

Rapunzel and Eugene’s relationship: This was not something I was expecting to enjoy from the series. In the movie, Rapunzel and Eugene were fine. They were the typical Disney couple that worked off of each other enough that it was always entertaining, even if it was unbelievable that they fell deeply in love with each other after, like, two days. They weren't bad, but they weren't anything to go crazy over.

But the writers for the series said, "You know what, let's make these two adorable in nearly every scene they're in." And they are!

Even though I don't believe in their relationship in the movie, I fully believe it here. Both characters have a large amount of faith in one another on top of having endless love for their partner. Like how Eugene knew Rapunzel would be fine when taking out an airship or how Rapunzel couldn't bring herself to say a bad thing about Eugene when making Cassandra a sparring dummy of him. It's legitimately pleasant to watch, to the point where I put Rapunzel and Eugene in my top ten list of favorite fictional couples. They're that good to me, and it's one of the reasons why I don't jump on the bandwagon of shipping the two main female characters together. I'm all for LGBTQA+ representation, but give Cassandra her own girlfriend. Rapunzel's taken, and most of my enjoyment of this show comes from her and her man. So, you know, keep things as they are.

Cassandra (Seasons One and Two): Seeing how I've already mentioned her, let's talk about Cassandra, shall we? Because when making a series based on a movie that had only four prominent characters, with two of them being comedic animal sidekicks, you're going to need to introduce more members to the main cast to write more potential stories. And Cassandra, in Seasons One and Two (I'll get to Season Three), is a worthy addition. She acts as a strict straight man (I know the irony) who interacts well with Rapunzel and clashes perfectly with Eugene on occasion. She was passably entertaining in Season One and developed amazingly in Season Two. Her growing frustrations with Rapunzel's actions lead to a slow build-up that made her betrayal heartbreaking but somewhat understandable. And as for the results in that betrayal...yeah, I'll get into that later. For now, I'll just say that Cassandra was a pleasant addition to the main cast, especially when she was a part of the main trio, and she's yet another good surprise that the writers supplied for the series.

The Songs: The songs are...not going to be for everyone. Most of them are passable yet kind of generic, while others sound like they belong on Disney Junior (Looking at you, "Bigger Than That"). But when Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure makes a hit, MAN, it is a home run. Numbers like "Ready As I'll Ever Be" and "Nothing Left to Lose" are sung phenomenally, orchestrated well, and are songs I can listen to on repeat multiple times. And "Waiting in the Wings" is not only something I consider to be the best song in the series, but it's also something I'd place as high up on Disney's best due to how f**king incredible it is. "Waiting in the Wings" is a powerful ballad that manages to be both tragic yet inspiring on top of how well it sums up Cassandra as a character. The writers may not always be on top of their game when it comes to music, but songs like these prove that they know how to earn that Disney name.

And that’s all I have for the likes...Oh boy. That’s not a good thing is it?

WHAT I DISLIKED

It Peaked at Season One: It did. It really did.

Season One felt like the writers had a grip on what type of show they wanted: A slice-of-life series with Rapunzel dealing with the issues of her kingdom with a meager threat of these black rocks growing in the background. It was all cute and well-balanced for the most part, but that all disappears in Season Two. Because now it's sort of about this adventure, but because Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure set itself as a slice-of-life series, there need to be these small-scale stories that intertwine the grand narrative being told. The issue is that the story comes to a grinding halt one too many times as fans are forced to sit through these filler episodes that, while not all of them are bad, still feel like a distraction. And by Season Three, the series does feel more focused while having some slice-of-life episodes added to the ongoing story instead of distracting us from it. But the writing isn't as strong, there are several plot holes in the narrative (how did Rapunzel's sunstone get into her dress?), and there is way too much time going back and forth on Cassandra's morality. They claim that she's a villain while arguing that there might still be some good in her, and they continue this train of thought for nine episodes when it really could have been settled in two. For me, it's a bad sign for a series when the first season is the best one. Because if it's all downhill from there, what's the point of even watching?

It Tries to be Epic: This might have been the worst decision the writers could have made.

Now, here's the thing: I don't mind grand epic tales of adventure and battles against demons. If anything, I'm all for them...when it's appropriate and fits with the tone of the series.

Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure suffers a similar problem Frozen II has, in which the writers felt like a big, life-threatening adventure was the perfect continuation of a meager, personal story about the relationships of characters. It isn't. If anything, it's completely missing the mark about what the original story was about. And sure, sometimes writers can succeed in telling personal stories through grand adventures. Just look at The Owl House and parts of Amphibia. But with those shows, it's established within the first few episodes that action and peril will be a series staple. With Tangled, while there was some action and peril, it's all very subdued compared to how high the stakes got raised in later episodes in the show. Especially in the series finale.

And, I mean, c'mon. You're making Rapunzel an action hero?

Judy Hopps? Yes.

Moana? Maybe.

Raya? Most definitely.

But Rapunzel? The character who’s all about optimism and seeing the best of others. That's the character you're going to morph into a hero that fights against an evil demon laid dormant for years? Did you even watch the original movie? Yeah, sorry, but I just don't buy it.

If you want to tell an epic story that gets the blood pumping for fans addicted to adventure, go for it! See where the wind takes you. But make sure to set that tone as early as possible while also making sure that it fits with the characters. If not, the end result is a series that feels like it's trying to be something it’s not.

Eugene is Kind of an Idiot at Times: It should be noted that Movie-Eugene and Series-Eugene are practically two different characters. In the film, Eugene was more or less the straight man, as he often questions the wackiness in the world around him and keeping Rapunzel grounded in reality. For the series, most of that personality got transferred to Cassandra. Thus making Eugene's new role in the series act as the egotistical imbecile. Sure, he had those moments in the film, but not as frequently, and it really pains me when the writers really lean hard into a minor aspect of his personality. Sometimes there are moments when Eugene acts like his original self. But it's all small scenes that are spread apart with entire episodes where he has half a brain cell. I'm sure some people didn't mind this change to the character, but as someone who adores the movie version of Eugene, I can't help but feel disappointed.

The Villains are the Worst: Now, I don't mean the one-off villains that show up, cause some chaos for a bit, and disappear at the end of the episode. Those are characters with fun personalities, occasionally cool designs, and do their job as villains of the week. It doesn't matter if their motivations are laughably simple, as their purpose is to be enjoyable characters above anything else. So I actually enjoy those villains...it's the ones that act as season-long antagonists that really grind my gears.

The purpose behind these types of foes is to build up how evil they are throughout the season. The issue is that the writers try to give these characters, or at least two of them, a point. To be fair, this can work. Just look at Killmonger from Black Panther and sometimes Karli Morgenthau from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. You understand and probably even sympathize with the logic and reasoning these characters have. It's just that their actions couldn't be farther from what you would do. The problem with Varian and Cassandra is that they have the motivation, but it's not written suitably for the story.

Cassandra is a whole can of worms I'll get to in a minute, but Varian is someone I can easily discuss for a brief time. Because while I can comprehend his pain for having his father frozen in yellow rock, I don't think turning evil is the best decision to go with that character. Because A. Everything is his fault. He blames Rapunzel for not helping him, but even if she didn't have a crisis to deal with, there was nothing she could have done to stop it. His frustrations are not only unjustified, but given the fact that this wouldn't have happened if he listened to his father in the first place, it feels like him becoming evil is too drastic of a turn. And B. Varian worked much better as a supporting character rather than a primary antagonist. He was just this hopeful, if not a clumsy scientist who wanted to prove himself, who causes minor catastrophes due to not thinking ahead. Turning a character like Varian into a villain is a bit of a misstep because if the guy acts hilariously incompetent as a good guy, it makes little sense to have him be intelligent and ten steps ahead of Rapunzel when being evil. If he were to become more serious and careful when helping the rest of the main cast, I'd consider that character progression done properly. But becoming a villain is just an overreaction.

However, none of that compares with my issues with the main antagonist of the series: Zhan Tiri. This goes back to my problems with the series making itself too epic. Because if Zhan Tiri existed in any other show, I probably wouldn't have any problem with her. She's built up well throughout all three seasons and is kind of threatening at times. But she doesn't belong in a series based on a movie that dealt with a small, personal issue where it wasn't even the character who killed the villain in the end. It was her love interest and animal sidekick. Even if Zhan Tiri works well as a character, the fact that it doesn't feel like she belongs in the show makes her too distracting to enjoy. And that's why these villains suck. If not poorly written, they don't belong in a series that should focus on small-scale issues. And if you can functionally write an antagonist that appears for only one episode but flounder with ones that show up in several, well, that's just embarrassing.

Cassandra (Season 3): OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH BOY, do I have some words to express with this character. Like with Movie-Eugene and Series-Eugene, Cassandra from Seasons One and Two is frustratingly different from the psychotic IDIOT from Season Three. Basically, just take the issues I have with Varian, multiply them by ten, add them with some bafflingly stupid decisions, and you still wouldn't get how much Season Three-Cassandra frustrates me!

First off, her motivation...what the f**k were the writers thinking? The big reason why Cassandra betrays Rapunzel and motivates all of her misdeeds was that Cassandra's mother was Mother Gothal...EXPLAIN THAT LOGIC TO ME?! Because Cassandra should know what type of woman Mother Gothal was. She should know what Mother Gothal did to Rapunzel in the first eighteen years of her life. So how is Cassandra being abandoned by Gothal the central motivator to cut ties with Rapunzel, who is probably an even bigger victim in this scenario!? Seriously, Rapunzel was cut off from the rest of the world and treated as an unknowing prisoner because she was beneficial to Gothal. Cassandra was adopted into a household with mutual love and got to actually live her life. In no way does it make sense for her to be angry at Rapunzel.

Nor does it make sense that the writers try to play it off as a good thing in the song "Crossing the Line!" Sure, it sounds nice, but thematically, it gives across the opposite feelings that the audience should have. Because if Cassandra cutting ties with Rapunzel is meant to be tragic and awful, why is the music suggesting it's the best possible thing that's ever happened for the character? If you like the song, fine, but even you have to admit that it's thematic nonsense.

But, sure. Cassandra's evil now, and she considers it a good thing. Whatever. I'll take it as long as it leads to good stories...but here's the thing: In the penultimate episode before the three-part series finale, Cassandra asks a question. A question I would have never expected her to ask, despite everything that has happened in the last season. A question that was so baffling, I had to legitimately pause the episode to process the fact that she asked something so stupid. Because Cassandra, the character who is intelligent and grounded in reality, asked, "Am I the bad guy?"

I was honestly shocked to find out she was shocked! How, in the flying, everlasting, cock-a-doodle-doodling F**K does a person like her not pick up that maybe, just maybe, she isn't the hero in this story!? Call me crazy, but endangering the lives of people you once called friends and family, dressing in black, AND HAVING A GIANT EVIL-LOOKING TOWER MADE OUT OF F**KING SPIKES aren't qualities I would give to a hero!

If Cassandra was like Thanos, a character so wrapped up in his ego that he can't even notice how evil he is, I would understand. But she doesn't have an ego. Anger, yes. But for the most part, her personality is based on having logic and reasoning. So turning her into a villain and having her unaware that she's a villain is an act of lunacy that I am incapable of understanding. I don't know who's idea this was, but whoever is to blame...you've got issues.

>Sighs<...This series isn't good, is it?

IN CONCLUSION

I like the animation and some of the characters...but that's not enough. Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure is a mess of a show that tries to do too much for a story that should have so little. Meaning that it's a D+ for me. I want to enjoy it and give it a higher grade, especially with how much I hear people praise this series. And if you do enjoy it, all the power to you. Your opinions are valid, even if I highly disagree with them. Because for me, this is a show that I won't get myself tangled up in again in the future.

[makeste]

this is pretty random and you don't need to answer it, haha, but could you share your personal hcs regarding platonic todobaku with me??? 🥺🥺🥺 i'm in need, LOL, and your takes on characterization and relationships on bnha are always so spot on, so... i hope you're having a good day/night!!!!!!!💖💖💖

thank you so much! sorry it took a while to gather all of these; my TodoBaku headcanons weren’t as immediately forthcoming as my general Baku headcanons were. but here goes. the first half of these ended up being more just my general thoughts about their relationship than actual headcanons, but I eventually steered myself back on track.

first of all, this is important to note: when Katsuki says in ch. 241 that “there’s no correlation between time spent [together] and friendship”, it’s not purely out of denial. this is something he genuinely believes, having learned it the hard way growing up. for someone who seemingly led a pretty charmed life for most of his childhood, Katsuki hasn’t actually had a particularly sunshiny experience when it comes to his friendships. all of his closest childhood friends eventually left him (Tsubasa), turned on him (Deku -- from his perspective lol. obviously this wasn’t actually the case at all, but it’s how he interpreted it, and it definitely had a big impact on him emotionally), or abandoned him (that long-fingered kid, who notably fled and never looked back when the sludge monster tried to eat Katsuki back in chapter one. like, thanks for nothing, my dude).

so it’s not surprising that all of these experiences would have a profound impact on Katsuki’s ability to trust other people and accept them as real, genuine friends. in its own way his childhood was almost as isolating as Deku and Shouto’s. it’s only since coming to U.A. that he’s started to make real friends again for the first time since kindergarten. and even then, in the case of Kirishima and Kaminari and Sero, even though I think he does consider them friends, he still isn’t very open with them. because he’s learned the hard way that that can lead to hurt, and I think he’s very hesitant to ever let himself be vulnerable to that again.

but having said all that, Shouto is still absolutely correct when he says that they’re friends. and the thing is Katsuki knows it too, but he’s just reluctant to admit it. partly because the part of his brain that processes everything as rivalry isn’t sure whether Being Friends With Shouto = Losing To Shouto (IS THIS A TRAP??), and partly because of everything else I just explained above. even though by this point he knows Shouto pretty well, well enough to be reasonably sure he’s not just gonna be another fakeass groupie who turns tail at the first sign of trouble, there’s still a part of him that’s hesitant to admit that connection is there, because doing so opens him up to potentially being hurt again at some point. goddammit. why is this shit so complicated.

meanwhile on Shouto’s side of things, this poor lil bubba never had any friends growing up to begin with, so he’s not nearly as paranoid or prickly as Katsuki is. instead, he’s still discovering for himself just what friendship is all about. the interesting thing about Shouto is that since he never had any childhood friendships, in a way, the friendships that he’s making now at U.A. are his childhood friendships. and so they tend to be straightforward and uncomplicated in much the same way that very young children’s friendships are uncomplicated. “I like this person; I am going to make them my friend.” boom. done. friendship is mad easy yo.

and he does like Katsuki! sure, his personality is a bit unconventional, but there’s a lot to admire about him even so, and they actually have a lot in common! they’re both rather introverted. they’re both very serious, and I think this is something that Shouto particularly appreciates, because jokes and idioms and playful insincerity sometimes fly over his head just because he doesn’t have a lot of experience dealing with other people. but Katsuki NEVER jokes around, and he is never insincere. he says what he means, with the exception of insults, which are 90% more bark than bite. and so once Shouto figured that out, it became very easy to figure out how to interact with him. aside from that, they’re both close with Shouto’s Other Best Friend Midoriya, they both have incendiary quirks, and they both tend towards the quiet side (yes, even Katsuki) with the occasional burst of hotheadedness (maybe a bit more than “occasional” when it comes to Katsuki’s end).

and like I said, there’s a lot that Shouto admires about Katsuki as well. he really respects how determined Katsuki is, because he himself lacked any sort of clear goals for quite a while growing up. all he knew was that he didn’t want to end up being like his dad. but Katsuki is someone who has always known what he wants, and he goes after it with a singlemindedness that Shouto is almost envious of. he’s also very intelligent and quick-thinking, and Shouto knows he can rely on him in a tight spot. he’s also honest, and surprisingly principled, and while he’s definitely not the nicest guy around, I think Shouto can recognize to some degree those same types of walls that he once spent so much time building up around himself. and so he knows that to a certain extent, Katsuki’s hostility is just a front. and I think he’s both intrigued by that, and drawn to it. because every so often when Katsuki’s guard does drop and his better self briefly shines through, Shouto can see that he’s someone worth getting to know.

anyways, but enough of my rambling about their relationship, and on to the actual headcanons. first of all, I firmly believe in my heart of hearts that at some point during all of those mentally and physically taxing weekends spent training for their provisional exam, they have each fallen asleep on the other’s shoulder during the ride home. Katsuki was actually the first to do it, and it was only for a couple of minutes, but when he woke up he was absolutely mortified. but much to his relief, Shouto never said another word about it. (and if Shouto still remembers the warm, cozy feeling in his chest during those few brief minutes when Katsuki was dead to the world, with his face smoothed out and completely trusting and his breathing strangely in rhythm with the movement of the car, and if doing so brings him a sense of calm that’s hard to describe, well then, that’s no one’s business but his own.)

anyway, so because life is Just Like That, eventually of course the reverse happened. and with anyone else, Katsuki would have violently shoved them aside without a second thought, and he was almost gonna do the same here, but then he remembered he owed him (because he really did keep his mouth shut about the earlier incident, thank fuck), and so he didn’t. for almost two whole minutes, anyway. whatever. that’s more than generous, really. meanwhile no one else knows about this except for Aizawa, who was chaperoning them that day, and took mild notice at first on account of it being unusual behavior on Katsuki’s part, but then immediately forgot about it afterwards. he was proud of them both for upping their napping game, though. he respects naps.

both Shouto and Katsuki were actually scared shitless during the test of courage at the forest training camp, and if Katsuki hadn’t been kidnapped and everything had instead gone on as normal, they would have both had trouble getting to sleep that night. Katsuki actually can’t stand scary movies or ghost stories (fyi this is canon according to the third light novel, and EXCUSE HIM FOR HAVING A HEALTHY RESPECT FOR THE SUPERNATURAL. you wanna go and get your own dumb ass cursed or dragged to hell or whatever, BE HIS GUEST). whereas Shouto has next to no experience with them and doesn’t really see what’s so scary about ghosts because GHOSTS AREN’T REAL DUH, but even he feels a little unsettled when an undead swamp girl suddenly rises from the depths and crabwalks towards them in the middle of the woods.

Katsuki has on rare occasions been so drained by provisional lessons that he goes into autopilot and forgets to pretend not to be friends with Shouto, which can result in them having completely normal conversations for minutes at a time before he eventually regains enough of his senses to realize he’s fraternizing with the enemy. this is how Shouto learned about things like Katsuki’s favorite foods, and his love of hiking. the latter is actually one subject that Katsuki can go on and on about if you get him started, and Shouto very much enjoys hearing about it and never tries to stop him.

by contrast, Katsuki never intentionally seeks to gain any new knowledge about Shouto because he feels like he already knows way more than he ever wanted to. however, this doesn’t stop him from absorbing knowledge against his will by simple osmosis, and then discovering to his dismay that he’s retained the information afterward. this is why he also knows Shouto’s favorite food in return (although to be fair, I think everyone in Japan knows Shouto’s favorite food), as well as other tidbits like the fact that he likes strawberry-flavored things (because he always gets the same brand of strawberry milk from the vending machine during their lunch breaks). he hates himself a little for both noticing and remembering these stupid little details, and would rather be kidnapped again than ever admit to Shouto that he does.

Katsuki thinks of Shouto as “Todoroki” in his head rather than “IcyHot” or “Half n’ Half”, and has to make a conscious effort to use the nicknames whenever he addresses him out loud. more and more often he finds himself forgetting to do so nowadays, much to his dismay. Shouto was pleasantly surprised the first few times it happened, but quickly stopped taking notice of it, as he’s come to realize that the way Katsuki addresses people carries very little meaning regardless, since something like 75% of his actual feelings are conveyed through his actions rather than his words.

Katsuki does wish that Shouto had had the decency to choose his surname as his hero alias rather than his given name, though. he lives in fear that one of these days he’ll be required to call him “Shouto” while on duty. number one hero or not, there’s a good chance he would resign from his internship at the Endeavor Hero Agency before he ever willingly agreed to that.

and last but not least, the number one thing that Katsuki would rather jump in a freezing lake than admit to Shouto or even himself is that he actually cares about him too. and has even mostly forgiven him for wussing out at the last minute during the sports festival. he still doesn’t fully understand why he did it, but he gets that Shouto was Going Through Some Stuff, and okay yeah, he can admit that his family situation is pretty fucked up, so whatever. there’s an uncomfortable feeling he gets whenever he’s reminded of this; sort of a weird, squirmy feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever the subject of Endeavor comes up, or whenever he sees Shouto talking to the man himself. it makes him feel restless and on edge, and he never knows what to say or do afterwards, especially if Shouto goes all quiet and sullen and reflective. he wants to scream at him, or slap him on the back of the head, or grab him by the shoulders and shake him; whatever it takes to snap him out of it and ease the tension. but he knows that’s not the right way to handle it. and more to the point, he knows that he’s not the right person to handle it. and sometimes, if he’s not quick enough to squash the feeling when he senses it coming, he wonders how Shouto would react if he ever found out what Katsuki used to be like back in elementary and middle school. and he wonders whether Shouto would still be so dead-set insistent on calling them friends. and then he does squash out the thought, as viciously as he possibly can.

anyway so that turned weirdly angsty towards the end whoops. not even sure what happened there, since this is supposed to be my cute and funny ship, while BakuDeku greedily hogs all the angst for itself! lol my bad. but don’t worry, they still love each other, and Shouto is still fond and soft and equipped with bullshit-radar, and Katsuki is still rabid and in denial and a dumbass.

[bamberry]

This is not miraculous ladybug related,

(it sorta is 😀)

it’s mentioned but this is just more of heyyyyyyyy nice to meet youuuuu.

Because I’ve now realized I never really introduced myself on this blog. I kinda just appeared out of nowhere tbh.

But my blog is becoming such a big place now so I think it’s the least I can do. Some of y’all might care some of y’all might not- I’m not really going to press you on the matter.

Soooooo, my blog is Bamberry. I don’t know how or why I have this name. I seriously have no idea what I was thinking but hey, here we are. Will I ever change the name? If I ever think of a better one, maybe.

On my blog you can call me Ber/Bam, whatever you prefer tbh. Or you can call me by my real name if want. My name real is Amelie. (Or nickname which is Mel) No I’m not French but I was pleasantly surprised to finally see a character from a show that shared the same name as muah.

Alas, I still can never find my name on those keychains in gas stations 😔

My pronouns are she/her. Though I’m not particularly strict on it.

’m not shy? Sorta? I mean if you say hi I’ll say hi back and I do my best to keep conversations going. I guess I get a bit nervous and flustered. But please! I genuinely love talking to you guys. also I’m kinda hoping to make some new friends on here to talk about ml with too. Kinda have been avoiding it because I just overthink a lot lol.

I hope I don’t come off as like someone who’s aggressive on my blog- truth be told I don’t even know what vibe I give out. Do I even give a vibe out? Or does this blog feel like a robot is managing it?

So, In case you weren’t sure,(which hopefully isn’t the case but nonetheless) this is a miraculous ladybug blog. I’ve been in the fandom since the dawn of time but I never really had an entire blog dedicated to the show until recently.

This blog had started off as user friendly but at one point I said fuck it. Obviously I do restrain myself from time to time but sometimes I can’t help it.

I do blog other ships besides the love square. Either because I find it cute, the art is good, I’m supporting the artist, or because I feel like it. I don’t hate, I don’t discriminate (UNLESS YOURE SHIPPING THINGS LIKE HAWKMOTH AND MARINETTE THEN IN THAT CASE I WILL PHYSICALLY HURT YOU)

Besides that everybody’s safe here.

The more people you ship, the more you can indulge yourself in the many fics and fine works of art.

At least that’s how I see it.

Anyways.

I post spoilers. Always, All the time. This blog is not the place if you’re trying to avoid spoilers. I will post spoilers as the episode airs. I will post spoilers before the episodes airs, and I will post spoilers AFTER the episode airs. I will sometimes tag ml spoilers if I remember to in posts but other than that and the big warning in my bio, it’s all I’ll really do.

I think a good chunk of you knows that I usually post things like art, rants, theories, headcanons, literally anything and everything I think of,

Speaking of you guys, I do actually recognize my active followers and 👉👈 well I appreciate you very much. Whether you’re new follower or an older one. I love you all equally. I’d shoutout but I’m afraid I’d forget one of you and feel bad about it for the next four years. But you know who you are!

I am looking forward more interaction with y’all. Especially with the way the show be hitting us with the pain. We’re all gonna need therapy by the end of it.

:,)

That being said! If there is anything you’d like to know please don’t hesitate to ask. My dms are always opens and of course so are my asks.

[onebizarrekai]

HELP ME i saw you like a wilashe fic and immediately rushed to your account! i used to follow you in 2017 and got very excited!! ugh witchs heart the absolute flavour

yes!! hello! witch’s heart is very good and wilashe is also very good and fun and because this fandom is so tiny and has so little content I’m going to go on a tangent about all the reasons I love wilashe:

major spoilers for witch’s heart again!

ok. first of all, another thing I love about witch’s heart is that like every mc gets enough attention and gets enough interaction with all the other mcs that you get food for like all the ships. that aside, with all of the wondrous interactions we get among the characters and how pleasantly not straight-coded every character is, I fixated on wilashe for some reasons that anyone who knows me will probably not be surprised by.

firstly, the “you and I aren’t so different” dynamic which I’m a simp for, especially in this context. when you analyze their behavior towards each other and especially how wilardo perceives ashe, they have a really interesting dynamic with each other in particular.

sure, we get nice material like the screenshot below, but there’s more to it than an objectively hot cg and a boss fight between these two.

we have bad flirting with ashe bradley 101:

getting into some actual analysis, ashe and wilardo are perceived in the game as these two ‘problem characters’, not because wilardo is problematic himself, but because the two of them are usually the cause of things going awry, due to them both having the same goal of getting the witch’s heart to grant their wish, and being willing to kill for it. this being said, the difference between ashe and wilardo is that ashe is very unhinged at this point as he refuses to accept the death of his family and wishes to bring them back, and wilardo longs for death, y’know, because he can’t die and hasn’t been able to for like a millennium.

however, this doesn’t stop wilardo from sympathizing with ashe’s actions, even if their wishes are quite opposite, and this doesn’t stop the dynamic of their conscious ‘rivalry’. in the bonus stage, they both find the contract in an offhanded scene, and the first thing ashe says is “now it’s just a matter of who gets there first.”

ashe is much more dedicated to his wish. wilardo is hesitant and has been shown to be able to be swayed by reason, as you see in the bonus stage right after the scene in which they find the contract, where wilardo literally barges into claire’s room with ashe. you know, the scene where ashe made this face.

sirius gives them a big spiel about the cruelty of their methods while noel and claire run away, and ashe throws a temper tantrum as he often does. wilardo clearly doesn’t really like this and isn’t actually on board with this.

so like, wilardo shoots ashe, making a new decision at the last moment. now, this is a thing to think about in the context of sirius’s conclusion, which comes right after the bonus stage loop. you think to yourself “omg, wilardo has a heart!” but here’s the kicker. wilardo still sympathizes with ashe. actually everyone kind of does, except maybe sirius, who died again, since claire knows at this point that ashe lost his family, and wilardo knows he came to the mansion for the same reason as ashe–getting his wish granted. even though wilardo decided not to kill over it, he was still willing to do that in the beginning.

often times, wilardo’s reactions to ashe attempting to kill for his wish are with sympathy, even though he doesn’t know ashe’s wish. in wilardo’s own route, ashe literally attacked him and claire (that’s where the stand up cg came from) and all he had to say about it was “I’m sure he was just going through some stuff.” (which is kind of funny, if you ask me.)

so, later, in sirius’s conclusion, AFTER ashe’s bad flirting attempt, wilardo turns against ashe yet again in favor of protecting claire and sirius. ashe is already injured since he just fought sirius and also wilardo just shot him two seconds ago, so he starts to try and convince wilardo to side with him again and re-convince him that his wish is more valuable than the lives of strangers. ashe could have just attacked wilardo like he tried to attack sirius moments ago; maybe ashe knew that he didn’t stand a chance while he was injured, and because wilardo has a gun (not that that ever stopped ashe in the other stories, though), but I like to think that ashe viewed wilardo with some small level of fondness due to their similar goals and was actually taken aback by wilardo’s change of heart.

ashe’s feelings are the most confusing in the latter stories, since he goes from seeming like this unfeeling monster who will do anything (like, in the very first story, he tried to kill wilardo, stole his gun and then killed claire with it) to more hesitant and much more vulnerable, especially with his nightmares, general unwellness, and how much more he talks about his family. it feels like when ashe is left to his own, and isn’t spending all his time around claire like he does in story 1 (his own route) you can see his relationship with all the other characters grow a little more than they usually do, and this happens especially in noel’s story, the bonus stage and sirius’s conclusion.

also, the piano scene. you’re playing as wilardo and you find ashe playing the piano in one of the rooms in rouge’s club area. wilardo compliments his playing, asks if he can listen, and from then on in the game, they kinda have some really meaningful conversations that are much more personal than one would expect from two people who barely know each other.

anyway, yeah. wilashe is pretty neat and I just went on a big ramble.

oh yeah, that moment in wilardo’s route where ashe realizes that he can’t kill wilardo and doesn’t stand a chance against him and ashe is completely terrified is like. heh. nice.👌

[wanderinginksplot]

Loved your Hondo and Aurra one, can you write something with cad bane being enamored by a new bounty Hunter or something of the like?

Okay, so this ended up almost a thousand words longer than I meant it to be! Still, I hope you enjoy!

The Bounty

Bane hated Coruscant. The whole cursed planet was a city and the teeming life made the reptile in him want to get as far away as he could and just curl up in the sun. But bounty hunters - even the best ones in the galaxy - had to work sometimes, and the Triple Zero had more prime targets than any other planet.

He was walking down a side street on one of the mid-levels in search of his current bounty. Despite Todo’s fretting, he and the droid were safer here than anywhere above or below. He had to give his target credit: they knew how to hide. The level was high enough that there was no need to watch your back just so no one would stab it, but disreputable enough that someone hiding from the authorities wouldn’t stand out.

Still, Bane was in a foul mood, and it was only getting worse as he continued to be unable to find his target. After he circled the same filthy block for the fourth time, Bane let out a blistering curse.

“Are you Cad Bane?” 

He whirled, hands resting on the butts of his blaster pistols as he cursed himself. How long had it been since someone had managed to sneak up on him? Too long to start making stupid mistakes now. 

“Who’s askin’?” he growled, scanning the dark alleyway. His red, slit-pupiled eyes adjusted better to the gloom than those of most other species, but even he had trouble picking out the speaker until they moved.

As the shadowed form stepped closer, Bane noted with some distaste that it was a human female. Duros had invented hyperdrives and had settled all across the galaxy, but it was the humans who were the most prevalent species. Nothing in the universe was fair.

This particular human looked to be nothing special. Her hair hung in limp strands - probably due to the humidity from the steam vents several buildings away - and her clothes looked like they had seen days in levels a lot lower than this one.

“I have some information for you,” she said, her voice pleasantly low and pitched to avoid being overheard.

“I’m sure,” Bane snorted.

“It’s good information,” she assured. “Worth a credit or two?”

“Dat’s not how dis works, girlie,” he said with a menacing chuckle, drawing one of the blasters and aiming in less time than it took to breathe. “Tell me da information an’ I’ll decide what it’s worth.”

She looked frightened, but nodded. “Th- There’s another bounty hunter after your target. I was sent to warn you that the guild gave out t-two biometric fobs.”

“Who sent ya tah warn me?” Bane demanded, absolutely livid. First, he was ousted as the Fett brat's godfather, and now the guild had issued another fob for his target? Ridiculous and insulting. Maybe that's why he was pressing the human female so hard, and why he hadn't put his blaster away yet. 

“I don’t know, I swear!” she answered quickly. “He just pointed you out to me, gave me some credits, and told me what to tell you. Please don’t kill me!” She fell to her knees with the plea. Her actual skragging knees. 

Bane shot her a disgusted look and holstered his blaster. In a few steps, he was at her side and tugged her roughly to her feet. She was heavier than she looked, but he had no problem getting her to stand - or keeping her close, even when she had started to struggle in an effort to get away from him. 

"Are ya lyin' tah me, girl?" She shook her head frantically, but he noted with a spike of deep-buried interest that she had glanced at his mouth. It wasn't uncommon for people to mix up fear and interest, especially on a lower level of Coruscant. 

Bane knew he had nothing to fear from this small human. He could read her every thought in her wide eyes and the expressions on her honest face. There was no reason not to have a little fun.

He pulled her closer, so close that the brim of his hat brushed her forehead as he continued, "So ya just thought to trick some extra credits outta me?"

"Uh, Master?" Todo chirped irritatingly.

"Shut up, droid," Bane snapped irritably as her gaze slid over to the techno-service droid instead of being fixed on Bane's own red eyes. He missed their weight, their heat. "D'ya know what I do tah people who try tah trick me?"

And there it was, her gaze flirted to his mouth again and lingered, just for a moment. 

"How ‘bout ya earn those credits a different way?" 

Offense crossed her face. "I'm not a-"

He lunged in for a kiss before she could tell him what she wasn't. 

Duros didn't put much stock in kissing as an expression of anything, but it was the best way Bane knew of getting humans in the right headspace for more… inter-species recreation. 

"Master," Todo said urgently and Bane fought a sigh. He hated the droid sometimes, but it was right. He had a target to find and now, there was a deadline.

He nipped at the human's lower lip with his sharp teeth and pulled away. "I've gotta go take care-a dis. See ya around."

She blinked up at him, looking rumpled and more than a bit confused. "But-"

"Master!" 

"Shut up, droid," Bane snapped. "Can't ya see I'm goin'?"

When he turned back, the female was leaving. Bane spared a single thought for her, wishing momentarily that he had gotten her name, but he had bigger things to focus on. He had to find his bounty, cause some pain to the guild member who had issued a second fob, and figure out why he couldn't feel the vibroblade in his boot.

Wait…

Bane patted himself down and found that he was missing the pouch with his credits, the vibroblade from his boot, and the tracking fob. 

"Master," Todo said again. "I've been trying to tell you: that girl was stealing from you!"

Bane hissed, whipping around to fix his gaze on the female. She was just rounding the corner of a building and saw him looking her way. Rather than the fearful look she had worn through their interaction, she grinned and sent a triumphant wink his way.

"Next time, just tell me!" Bane snapped, running after her. "Now I gotta track an unknown through da planet!"

"I traced the water from her hair while you were… occupied," Todo volunteered. "I believe she came from the steam vents three blocks west."

Bane changed directions and picked up speed, Todo soaring through the air beside him giving directions. At a certain point, he slowed, “I cannot go further. The steam will short out my circuits.”

“Fine, just wait dere,” Bane ordered over his shoulder. “Dis won’t take long.”

When Bane got to the steam vents, he immediately recognized the female's silhouette standing next to a nondescript, illegally parked ship. She was facing the opposite direction, speaking into a comlink hidden under her grimy sleeve. 

"Well, keep me updated," she said, clearly disappointed with the person on the other end of the line.

Bane was on her before she could lower her arm, twisting her around. However, her reflexes were better than he had expected, and she turned and kicked him away in the same moment. Still, Bane hadn’t lived this long being taken by surprise. He grabbed her shoulders as he was pushed back, and levered her along with him. In the end, his balance was caught by a wall, and his grip pulled her against him until there was not an inch of space between their bodies. 

"Gimme one good reason I shouldn't blast ya to pieces right now," he snarled in her face, one blaster already drawn and pressed to her temple.

Though this was a lot less friendly than the last time they had been so close, she wore a crooked little smile. “Because I can give back everything I took?”

“Yeah? An’ how is dat gonna make up fer da fact dat ya thought it’d be smart tah steal from me?”

The smile widened and took on a saucy look. “I think I more than made up for it back there. And there’s more where that came from. But first! Credits, fob…”

She hesitated before handing over the vibroblade. “I really like the knife. Any chance I could keep it?”

“I could shoot ya right now an’ no one would blink - least of all, me,” Bane hissed.

She pouted a bit, but passed the blade back. “Now, where were we?” she purred, moving as if to slide her hands up Bane’s arms.

Bane knocked her hands away and her comlink went off. She hit the button that allowed it to transmit, and Bane was less than thrilled, “I didn’t tell ya tah answer that.”

“We’re clear,” the comlink said.

“Who’s clear-a what?” he asked suspiciously, the end of the question muffled by the human female’s lips meeting his mouth once more. He obliged her, taking control of the kiss with a hand in her hair, holstering his blaster so he could use the other to angle her jaw.

“Bane,” she moaned at the contact.

Bane broke the kiss and tried not to pant as he said, “Ya got me at a disadvantage, darlin’. Ya know my name, but I never caught yers.”

“Oche,” she told him, giving a mischievous little smirk. “And that’s not the only thing you didn’t catch, bounty hunter.”

He was already furious by the time he tried to reach for her and found his wrists caught in magnetic binders, attached to the wall behind him. 

“Well, that was lovely,” Oche said chipperly. “I do wish I could stay longer. I would love to see if all the rumors about you are true.”

Her gaze drifted downward and Bane growled at her, knowing full well what she would find if she looked too closely.

“Anyway, looks like we’re both done here.” 

As she began to root through his jacket, Bane glowered. “So, ya were tryin’ tah steal my bounty all along.”

“Not really,” Oche said after a thoughtful pause. “It’s more like… a partnership. You found the guy, I got the fob, and Embo got the bounty.”

Embo. Bane should have guessed that the Kyuzo would be one to steal a bounty. He had already tried to steal Bane’s signature wide-hat style. Aloud, he just said, “And when am I gonna get my share-a da payment fer this little partnership?”

“Well, your portion was done on more of a volunteer basis,” she hedged.

Before Bane could tell her how little he cared about volunteering anything, she said, “I’m taking some of your credits, the fob, and the vibroknife. I really did like it.”

As she stepped away, Oche added, “Embo said to tell you thanks for the bounty. He didn’t know if he could find them alone, but you were a big help. And don’t worry, those cuffs will come off as soon as my ship leaves the atmosphere.

With that, she scampered off, climbed into her ship, and blew him a kiss goodbye through the viewport. Bane bared his pointed teeth at her in return.

Oche was right, though: the binders fell off only minutes after her ship had risen through the air. Bane spent only a moment glaring at the sky before he walked back in the direction of his own ship, lost in thought. 

Fett had Wesell, Embo had Oche, even Ohnaka had Sing. Was he the only bounty hunter left in the galaxy who still worked solo? Where was his apprentice?

“Master!” Todo cried, hovering beside the Duros’s face. “Did you find her? Did you get the target?”

“Oh, I gotta target, all right,” Bane said darkly. “An’ I’m not gonna stop ‘til I get ‘er.”

He would find Embo and Oche, he would get his money for the target he had found, and then… Bane and Oche would finish what they had started. 

Whether it would be finished with blasters or something more primal, he wasn’t certain, but it would be finished either way.

[thedetectivessay]

Highlights from the Fan Meeting

(took longer than planned. sorry..)

So, there were definitely A LOT of people watching during the event. At one point, it reached 26k viewers - but it could have been higher than that. They were also broadcasting through VLive so there were more. 

There was an earlier interview thing that was reposted later on on Instagram. I’m not sure if that was something exclusive to SK viewers or if it really was just a private interview (saw a news outlet’s watermark somewhere; Yonhap News’, I think). 

Either way, in that interview, Cho PD participated. He wasn’t there for the international fan meet, though.

Anyway, here are the highlights in a (mostly) chronological order:

• During the opening, the cast were introduced. Jaesuk or the MC did mention straight off the bat that this will be the final season. 

• Sejeong roasted Kwangsoo because of his hair 😂 It’s currently very long because he and Sehun had been filming for Pirates 2; Sehun’s hair was long-ish as well. But yeah - he got the most teasing because his hair is as long as Sejeong’s now lol

•  Okay, I gotta mention this: Jongmin was DRESSED TO THE T. He looked so nice, but it was so cute! He was just so determined to impress the international fans present. It just showed how much he cared about us and about how we felt about him. 

So yes: if you haven’t yet, give Jongmin some love. 

He was also asked at one point who he felt the closest to among the cast members, and y’all - he hesitated 😭😭 It was obvious he wanted to say he felt the closest to Sejeong, but he got scared because he thought the fans who were there might get mad at him 😭

But Sejeong, being the sweetheart that she is, kept encouraging him to pick her anyway by throwing hearts at him 🥰

Y’all, what are we gonna do once this show is over? This brOTP is the best when it came to roasting people! And they act like fr siblings 😭😭

• On the same question, after Jongmin did pick Sejeong, Kwangsoo made a remark, saying that he thought Jongmin was going to choose him. He looked hurt 😂

Side note: are we finally getting more Jongmin and Kwangsoo scenes this season?? 😃

• Not that long after, they played a game. Three of the cast members were chosen prior to the meet to draw a picture summarizing an episode. The rest had to guess where it was from. 

Kwangsoo was the first to go, and his clue - drawn nicely - pointed to S1EP5, The Last Vampire. Jaesuk was the first one to solve it, mentioning that it was the episode Park Hae-jin was in.

Seunggi was next, and it took the cast a while to figure out which episode it is. Can’t remember who solved it or if Seunggi just gave them the answer, but it was depicting one of the final scenes in S2EP10, The Flower of Death. It was that part where they were in Flower Killer’s hideout, when he finally told them who he really was while standing over Minjae. 

Kwangsoo afterwards said he was surprised by how terrible(?) Seunggi’s drawing skills were. Seunggi just laughed. 

Sejeong was next. She drew the detective team (beautifully, btw), and underneath the picture were the words versus + seven silhouettes with question marks on their faces. 

Kwangsoo praised Sejeong for her great drawing skills, and the cast agreed. 

The cast eventually figured out which episode, but they were hesitant to really speak of it.

It was then revealed that it’s an episode/case where the detective team faces off with a copycat team. We will see this and find out who the copycat seven are in S3. 

• Afterwards, they did this thing where a roulette chooses one of the members, the MC reads the messages written to them by fellow cast members, and they guess who they think it’s from. 

I’ll probably make another post later for this if you guys want since I can’t remember everything that was said, but basically...

> Jaesuk received messages from Sehun and Seunggi. Can’t remember what Seunggi said, but Sehun pretty much just thanked Jaesuk for teaching him 10% of what he needed to know about variety (he said the other 90% he learned himself lol) 

> Seunggi received messages from Sehun and Minyoung.

> Kwangsoo received messages from Jaesuk and Sejeong. Jaesuk said in his message that he highly valued him and Jongmin - and he asked them to stay with him forever (😭)

Meanwhile, Sejeong said that she’s thankful and sorry to Kwangsoo. When asked what she was sorry about, she said it was because she knew there were moments when it needed to be funny, and Kwangsoo would make a fool of himself to make that happen. 

(Side note: she interacted a lot with Kwangsoo this fan meet, too, so I have hope that I will also get the Kwangsoo and Sejeong brOTP scenes I’ve been asking for 🙌🏼)

> Minyoung received messages from Jaesuk and Jongmin.

> Jongmin received messages from Kwangsoo and Sejeong (my other brOT3 😭❤️)

> Sehun received messages from Jongmin and Minyoung. Jongmin said in his message that he was sorry to Sehun because he didn’t (couldn’t?) take care of him better. 

> Sejeong received messages from Jaesuk and Minyoung. Minyoung asked somewhere in her message for them to have a drink together some time, while Jaesuk asked Sejeong if she could help Kwangsoo land a role in her current drama 😂

Kwangsoo then revealed that Jaesuk always does that: whenever he meets with his friends and other celebrities, he always asks them to cast Kwangsoo in their drama or movie. The cast laughed. 

Seunggi then mentioned afterwards that he’s currently working on a new drama or movie (not sure which one), and he offered Kwangsoo the role of a mouse lol

• That was then followed by the Thank You messages from the fans. Some of you may be aware of this, but about a week and a half ago, on IG, the Busted Netflix official account asked fans to submit a 10 second video of themselves saying “Thank you, Team Busted!” in their native language. 

It was so cute, you guys! It just showed how much the cast and crew were loved by many all over the world. 

Although: there was one fan from Sweden or Norway who had a whole PROJECT D MARK HANGING ON HIS WALL. THE SAME ONE HANGING OUTSIDE THE MAZE IN C’S LAIR IN THE SERIES PREMIERE.

Where did he get that?? I want one, I’m so jealous!! ☹️

•  The fan meeting closed with messages from the cast. Most of them seemed so tired at this point, but Jaesuk proved to be the best leader the cast/team could ask for even in the end. 

I mentioned this on the first update, but he said he felt sad that the series was coming to an end especially since the cast had such great chemistry. It was heartwarming to hear because it personally gave me a sense of closure. 

To hear a cast member address the feelings a number of us feel is comforting, you know?

• The fan meet ended with bouquets of flowers (non-threatening kind 😏😉) and gift bags for the cast! They were all so pleasantly surprised, and it was so cute. 

Netflix seemed to be aware that the awards season just finished in SK, so they gave each of the members their own trophies bearing personalized awards! It was a weighty trophy, too; the cast commented on it.

I don’t know what the other members received, but Sejeong, I think, got the Bright Future Award. 

Myuk PD later posted on his IG pictures of this big gift bag that Netflix apparently gave him and the other PDs. One of the gifts they received contained a pair of wine glasses with an electric bottle opener in the middle. It was so classy and nice.

Bro - no one can say that Netflix didn’t love the detective team and the creators of the show. They threw all kind of love and attention on them, and they didn’t skimp on the gifts and ads either. 

There are other points from that earlier interview I was talking about, but I’ll put that on a separate post if you’re interested :) 

Detective Fam! There’s literally only two days before the final season drops! For those of you who live on the Eastern hemisphere, it’s just one day and some change! 

Season 3!! Are you guys excited??!

[stonefreeak]

Here we go! Another month, another update! 

We finally broke the 100k words posted! What the hell, amirite?

I hope y’all enjoy it~

Sabé helps her lady through her morning routine. There is no meeting in the senate today, and since the office building is still closed due to the investigation and reparations, she has worked mostly from the apartment these days. As such, there is no need for Padmé to have her hair done in an intricate Naboo style, or squeeze herself into formal senatorial garb.

Instead, they spend much of breakfast on the sofa, talking softly and drinking tea from a shared pot. The days where Padmé allows herself to simply be, sheds her Amidala persona, are few and far in between. So very precious due to the scarcity of them. Still, Sabé will stand by her Lady, her best friend, through thick and thin. As, she knows, will the rest of the handmaidens. They're all very loyal and take much pride in their work.

There's a knock on the door that interrupts their conversation.

Sabé gets to her feet swiftly, leaving he tea cup on the table.

When she opens the door, she's met with… Knight Skywalker. On the outside, Sabé keeps her expression calm and placid, but she's not quite pleased to see him here. She has her suspicions about his relationship with the Lady, in fact she's almost certain, but as Padmé has not spoken of it… Well, sabé can keep a secret, even one she hasn't been explicitly asked to keep.

Anything for her lady.

"Knight Skywalker. How can I help you?" In the corner of her eye, Sabé can see the Lady get out of her seat, the shawl she had around her shoulders falling to the couch.

"Hello Miss Sabé, I was hoping I could speak to Senator Amidala?"

Well, Sabé will give him that, he's always been very good at remember who is who among Padmé's handmaidens. That's more than can be said for most people they meet. Though now that she thinks about it, it may be a Jedi trait. Most Jedi she's met seem to find it very important to address her as she prefers. Well, Ellé's been working with Jedi for some time now, she'll probably know if Sabé asks her opinion.

"Knight Skywalker!" Padmé's voice is pleasantly surprised as she sidles up to Sabé. "Thank you, Sabé. I'll take it from here."

A gentle dismissal.

"Yes, my lady." She bows and steps away, heading farther into the room, while still keeping her eye on her lady, as is her duty as bodyguard.

They speak in low tones as they move to the couch, too low.

She will keep her eye on them.

~~~~

"Anakin! I wasn't expecting you back so soon," Padmé says, throwing a glance over her shoulder at Sabé. She hates keeping secrets from her friend and trusted confidant, but… She's made her bed and now she must lie in it.

"I got called back early because of what happened at the Senate." Anakin's voice is hoarse, and he looks tired, but there's also something… happy, about him. Something she cannot quite put her finger on.

"Are you heading up the investigation?" That could be why, Padmé knows that Anakin usually feels better if he's actively working and trying to figure out things that have harmed people he knows. All she needs to do is remember Tatooine, remember getting the message about Obi-Wan being taken capture, to know that. Her love is a man of action.

"No, nothing like that. But… Obi-Wan's awake." He smiles then, a smile that lights up his entire face and soothes her soul. It's like facing the midday sun. She's always loved his smile.

She lets out a long breath. "I'm so relieved to hear that. I've been so worried, ever since it happened. And then a Senator tried to suggest that we should reinstate Palpatine as Supreme Chancellor if he didn't make it, an—" before she can finish her sentence, Anakin cuts her off.

"That sounds like a good idea. Palpatine knows the job better than anyone else, and he's very dedicated to the Republic. He'd probably accept the responsibility even though he's been enjoying the peace and rest he's had since he left office."

Padmé swallows her words. Anakin… Anakin trusts Palpatine. More than anyone, perhaps. How does she explain to him what she's realised about the man?

He's not a good person, no matter what Anakin thinks… But Palpatine has also been there for Ani for so long… How could she possibly try to take him away from Anakin?

No, it's better if she doesn't say anything.

"Yes, well, it's wasn't a feasible suggestion. And I had to protest on principle." She cannot say that she feared his return to power.

"You protested? But it's Palpatine! He's been your mentor for years!" There's something in Anakin's expression, something almost betrayed, and she hates that she put it there.

"Anakin, if the Senate suddenly just goes against a majority decision, it would set a dangerous precedent. Regardless of who it was, I couldn't have accepted it purely for that. Besides, Acting Vice-Chancellor Ha'han-ash stands to take over should Obi-Wan… There was never a reason to bring the suggestion up in the first place."

He looks slightly mollified and Padmé smiles at him, brushing a lock of hair from her face, looking up at him from beneath her lashes.  

The smile returns on his face, and the slightest of blushes form.

She loves him so much it echoes inside her.

We should never have married.

The thought comes unbidden, horrifying and awful. but once she's had it she cannot release it.

It's true.

They shouldn't have married.

"You said Obi-Wan is awake now, please tell me more. I've been so worried about him, he's a good friend." She motions towards the sofa and Anakin follows her over and they sit down.

She wants all the information she can get.

Information is power, and Padmé has felt helpless when it comes to the situation with Obi-Wan.

She hates feeling helpless. It brings her back to the Battle of Naboo, and the fear that she cannot help her people.

"Well," Anakin starts, and as he launches into the story, Padmé lets herself be swept away in his words and stops thinking of the past.

The future still lays ahead of them, and it's more important than what once was.

~~~~

They speak of Obi-Wan recovery for a while—though Anakin holds back the details of the Sith Master, he doesn't want to worry Padmé unduly—but he cannot help the restlessness he feels down to his very bones. He hasn't been able to stop thinking about Master Che and Doctor Nema... and Master Windu.

"Anakin? Is something wrong?" Padmé says, her hand coming to rest over Anakin's own. He smiles at her and bites his lip.

He shakes his head. "Not wrong, per se," he mutters and runs a hand through his hair. "It's just... I went to visit Master Che, the healer who saved Obi-Wan's life, and... She lives with another Jedi, a Knight."

Padmé tilts her head to the side. "Yes? Is that unusual?" She doesn't understand. Of course she doesn't, she's not a Jedi.

He frowns. "I don't... know, exactly. Padawans and their Masters usually live together, but once the Padawan is Knighted they move out to their own apartment... And, actually, Ahsoka has her own apartment, we don't share one. I think it's because we're not in the Temple very often... and war time has changed Jedi traditions a lot... Ahsoka became my Padawan in the field, after all, not during a small ceremony in the Temple which is the most common way. Or was, anyway." He turns his hand over and closes his fingers over Padmé's hand.

"So, is this Knight a former Padawan of Master Che's?"

Anakin considers the idea. It could  be true, he supposes. Perhaps Nema just didn't move out after her Knighting because of the war? He really has no idea how old she or Master Che is, after all... But if they're both close friends with Master Windu...

"I don't know. I don't think so, but I can't be sure."

Perhaps that is why they're so close? But it seemed... It felt... Anakin sighs in frustration, not sure how to express himself even in his own head.

"So they live together, and they're likely not a former Master and Padawan... I assume the living arrangement is unusual. Are they... in a relationship?" Padmé's voice is hesitant, almost timid, as if she's not sure what will happen if she says the words aloud.

"I... I don't... They can't be. It's not allowed. Attachment is forbidden. That's why no one knows about our marriage." It hurts, the truth of it hurts. Or maybe that's just Anakin's head.

Padmé nods, her gaze at the floor and her mouth downturned. She looks sad, as if she's hurting too.

"You once... You once said that Jedi are encouraged to love... Do you remember?" Her voice shakes.

Anakin nods. It's true, he did say that. Because it's true. Compassion, unconditional love, is part of what makes a Jedi. One of the most important things that separate them from the Sith.

'You cannot rid yourself of the Dark Side, Anakin, it resides in all of us. The strength of a Jedi comes from the ability to resist its lure and hold compassion and calm as central aspects of our selves over the likes of selfishness or anger. But the Dark Side itself can be useful, if you can control it, if you can keep yourself from being swept away.'

He shudders at the memory. It's not really important right now, is it? The Dark side and the Sith have nothing to do with Padmé and their marriage.

"Perhaps that is their way? Love can come in many forms..." Padmé's fingers close around Anakin's hand, and they gaze at each other for a long moment.

Anakin nods slowly.

"Perhaps."

She smiles. "I don't know the Jedi, I know it only as an outsider. What I know I've learned as your wife, Obi-Wan's friend, Ahsoka, by interacting with Jedi in the Senate... But I don't know it the way you do."

Anakin returns her smile. "You're right." There really isn't much Padmé can say here, is there? She's right that she doesn't know the Jedi, that she can only base her ideas and thoughts on what she's learned from others. She hasn't lived it, and unlike Palpatine she hasn't studied it either.

Still...

"Thank you," he whispers, and pulls her into his arms.

He'll figure it out, one way or another. Perhaps he can try to talk to someone about it... maybe he can suss some details out from Master Windu!

It'll be fine, one way or another.

—

(Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi masterpost)

[chibimultishipper]

If you want to, some domestic Zerhys fluff would be so nice

(Sorry this took a minute! Here you go!

Zer0 opened their four bright red eyes groggily at the sound of an alarm.  Normally they would wake up naturally before their alarm went off.  They were usually an early riser, but all they wanted to do currently was stay in bed.  They heard Rhys shift next to them in response to the noise.  Quickly they turned over and turned off the alarm clock.  

5:00am.

They had a mission with Axton, Krieg and Maya today.  It wasn’t a huge mission, but it involved killing a bunch of bandits and a little vault hunter bonding was always an added bonus.  Normally, they would jump at the chance to get out into the field and do what they do best, killing.  See, they never really felt comfortable staying in one place.  Even when they still lived in Sanctuary and had a small little abode to call their own, they never stayed long.  It was always just a place to rest and refresh.  Catch a few Z’s here, have a quick meal, take a quick shower and then continue on their way.  They never stayed home for long.

But that was all before Rhys.

In the beginning of the their relationship their mindset had stayed the same.  Even after accepting Rhys invitation to move in, they would stay home long enough to eat, sleep, bathe, maybe have some quick cuddle sessions, and then they were on to their next kill.  Hell, they saw Rhys more in his office than they did at home.

But then the strangest thing happened.  Whenever they were gone for too long, they would feel… empty.  As if there were missing something.  At first it was just slightly uncomfortable, but the longer they were away the more it hurt.  While on missions Rhys would always call them or send texts if they were unable to talk.  Those little interactions would somehow simultaneously ease the pain and make it hurt even more.  However when they returned home to see Rhys’ excited face, not only would the pain disappear but it was replaced with such a large amount of love and adoration that all they wanted to do was spend time with Rhys.

When they discussed it with Maya and Axton one time, Axton had laughed at them before realizing they were serious.  Upon that realization, Maya and Axton had exchanged glances.  

“It’s because you miss him.” Maya explained.

“You know, because you love him.” Axton added. “You do love the kid right?”

Zer0 had nodded, they had already known that for a long time.

Maya then hesitantly asked. “Have you never missed anyone before?”

Zer0 had to think about it before responding. “I have, but I have / not experienced it like / this.  It’s unnerving.”

Axton laughed again. “I forget that this is your first partner.  You’re basically experiencing every teenage first love scenario as an adult.  God that is both hilarious and sad I can’t-” At this point Axton had his face on the table in front of them, unable to control his laughter.

Zer0 gave a [>:(] in response.

Maya tried to hide her quick chuckle as best as she could. “What Axton means is, if you have more questions like this you can come to us anytime.  Or maybe just me next time, I can’t guarantee any advice out of him will be helpful.” She muttered slapping the Commando on the back of the head.

“Ow!”

“Point is,” Maya continued, “what you are feeling is completely normal.  It just means you don’t want to be apart from him for too long.  Some distance in a relationship can be a good thing, but not making time for each other can be stressful for both parties, remember that.”

After that conversation, Zer0 had made an active effort to go on less missions and spend more time at home.  Surprisingly, the usual stir crazy feeling they felt dissipated.  They still had some moments of being antsy, but for the most part being home felt more comfortable than it ever had.  Rhys seemed to appreciate the extra attention as well.

As time went on, their need to stay home increased, but they still never hesitated when a mission came up. Killing was still one of their favorite past times after all.

That thought brought them back to the present.  It was 5:00am, they had a mission with Maya, Axton and Krieg and then didn’t want to get up.

They turned back over in bed to see Rhys staring at them with sleepy eyes.  It was very clear that he was still tired.

“Are you leaving?” He asked laying fully on his right side.  Rhys waited a moment for Zer0 to turn on their communicator.  They had an implant which allowed any thoughts they choose to emulate into human speech patterns.  Their actual voice which Rhys had claimed to love did not have the full capacity to speak as humans did.  They could force their voice to make coherent words at times (They remembered the time they said Rhys name brokenly and he yelped in excitement) however saying full sentences was difficult.  They usually turned it off at night due to the embarrassing realization (pointed out by Rhys of course) that they talk in their sleep.

“I have a mission.” It wasn’t a yes or no answer and Rhys seemed to have caught on.

“With Axton right?” Rhys asked grabbing one of Zer0’s hands with his left one.  His right arm was on it’s docking port, leaving his shoulder port bare.

“Yes, Maya and Krieg will be / attending as well.”

“Hmm.” Rhys hummed rubbing the palm of Zer0’s hand with his thumb causing the assassin to melt.  “Is it important?”

Zer0 knew what he was asking. “… Not really. Just a/  mission picked up by Axton. / He asked us to join.”

Rhys looked up into their eyes. “Soooo that means you don’t need to go right?”

They did this dance any time Zer0 had an early morning mission and didn’t slip out while the former Hyperion employee was still sleeping.  In cases like this, Zer0 would always end up going anyway.  Sometimes, if Rhys was really persistent they would stay for an extra 30 minutes or so, but never anything more than that.

Today Zer0 felt differently.

“No, I suppose not.” Zer0 stated, reaching over to the night stand to grab their Echo.

Rhys blinked, still a bit groggy before sitting up quickly. “Wait, just like that?”

Zer0 nodded. “Yes, just like that.  Why?  Surprised?” They asked after sending a message to the three other vault hunters that they would not be coming with them.  They were confident they would be fine without them.

“Pleasantly surprised.”  Rhys added with a yawn.  He grabbed Zer0 and brought them back down to lay with him.  “Zer0 skipping a mission? Are you really my datefriend? Did someone replace you in the middle of the night?”

“I can change my mind.”

“Noooo shhhh.” Rhys whined, already half asleep. “It’s too late you already canceled.  We will… celebrate… confetti and shit…” Rhys muttered eyes slipping closed as he held the assassin close to him, his head buried underneath their neck.

Zer0 couldn’t help the small laugh the escaped their communicator.  They turned it off once again before slipping back to sleep next to their boyfriend.

Zer0’s eyes shot open hours later to find their boyfriend missing.  They were surprised they slept through the movement, what was with them today?  They looked at the clock.  10:00am.  Rhys usually leaves for work around 9, he probably left already.  Zer0 feels kind of annoyed they didn’t get a chance to say goodbye, but it was their own fault for sleeping in so long.  

They heard movement from outside the door and began reaching for their sword underneath the bed on instinct.  They paused however, when they saw Rhys holding a tray of food.

Zer0 tilted his head, clearly confused.  

“I took off work!” Rhys stated as if reading the other’s mind.  He brought over the tray of food to the bed and sat it on Zer0’s lap.

Zer0’s helmet wasn’t on their head, but it was on the nightstand.  They turned on their communicator implant again and a question mark displayed on their helmet.  [?]

Rhys grinned. “Are you kidding me? We finally have a day to ourselves!  This never happens!  Vaughn and Yvette will be fine without me for a day.  I think.”

Zer0 was sure it would be okay.  They weren’t close with either Vaughn or Yvette but they knew they were both very capable people.  “And you made breakfast?”

Rhys nodded. “Yeah! I mean you do so much for me all the time and with our schedules we never have time for romantic stuff like this.  I mean, the last romantic thing we did was when I asked you to accompany me to that abandoned Atlas building to find some old weapon specs and there happened to be an entire field of a flowers right out a romantic comedy movie right next to the base.  My point is, we don’t really have time to just, be a couple I guess.  I know it’s stupid but, I like doing dumb couples stuff with you sometimes.  I don’t know, I guess that’s pretty sappy huh?” Rhys laughed nervously.

“It is.” Zer0 confirmed. “But I love it.” [

Rhys’ eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yes.”  Zer0 took a bite. “It is very good.” [ :) ]

Rhys gave a sigh of relief. “Good, awesome.  I could never replicate your cinnamon bun recipe, but I figured I couldn’t go wrong with bacon and eggs.”

“You didn’t even burn it.  I’m impressed.” [:D]

“Hey! I’m not that bad at cooking!”

“You’re not great.”  [ :) ] Rhys pouted in response.  “You’re not eating?”  

Rhys shook his head at their question.  “No, I already ate, I just really wanted to give you breakfast in bed.”

“I’m swooning. ” [:O] Zer0 dramatically placed a hand to their forehead to reiterate their comment.

Rhys snorted and nudged them. “You’re so goofy!”

“As are you.  You’ve been staring at me eat the entire time.”  Zer0 pointed out.

Rhys’ face began heating up. “It’s because I love the way you eat! It’s so cute.”

“Assassins are not suppose to be cute.“ [>:(]

“But you’re cute! Like when you eat and when you drop your haikus when talking to me and when you speak with me using your voice, and when you make those cute chirping noises, and when-”

Zer0 placed one of their hands on Rhy’s mouth. “Please stop.”  Zer0 asked, their hlement displaying a blush emoticon [>////

“And that! That’s like, 100% cute!” Rhys said removing the other’s hand from his mouth.  To be fair, Zer0 wasn’t trying that hard to actually silent him.  

“You’re very embarrassing.  Remind me why I am dating you again?”

Rhys smiled.” Because you love me.” He said, reiterating the fact by sneaking a kiss on Zer0’s mouth.

“Oh is that it?” Zer0 joked earning another nudge from Rhys. “I do suppose I love you. A lot.”

Rhys smile softened. “I love you too.”  His voice was filled with so much love it almost made Zer0 want to shy away.  Instead their helmet displayed [>//// again.  “Anyway we have the whole day together! What do you want to do?”

[… ] Zer0 put hand to their chin in thought before displaying. [8==D] and [(*)] back to back, earning a flick from their partner this time. “We did that last night!” Rhys commented.

Zer0 laughed. “Let’s make fun of some bad romantic comedies.”

“Yes!”  Rhys yelled pumping his fist in the air. “You are the best date friend ever I swear.”

“I try.”

The couple spent the rest of the day together, doing stupid nerd stuff and being cute.

(Hope you enjoyed! Quick headcannons I have to explain anything that may have been confusing.

Zer0 is able to communicate through communication implant that allows them to pick what thoughts to say outloud and it will translate into actual listenable language.  This communicator is connected to their helmet which allows them to do emoticons.  When their communicator is off their helmet does not display emoticons.

Since Zer0 actively chooses which thoughts to say and what to keep to themself, them “talking in their sleep” is their thoughts and dreams just unconsciously coming through their communicator, which is why they now turn it off at night.

My headcannon appearance for Zer0 is basically the way their suit is shaped is pretty much 100% accurate to the way they look except they have leathery skin.  Their face has a mouth with very sharp teeth and they have four bright red eyes.  

At this point Rhys and Zer0 have been dating for a while so Zer0 takes off their suite when sleeping next to Rhys, however they still leave it on in most scenarios, even when just walking around the house.

Zer0 will drop his haiku based speech sometimes. Mostly if he’s really surprised by something or super comfortable around a person.

That’s it I think! Once again, if you see any pronouns slip ups please let me know immediately!  Please feel free to send me more prompts!)

[tibbinswrites]

Prompt: “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

Prompt requested by @psychicbouquetblaze-stuff​ (sorry I’m retagging you for the same story but the ‘keep reading’ link no longer worked so I thought it would be best to repost. I’ve also edited it a bit because it needed doing).

Prompts are open. I’ve got a few lists to choose from in the ‘Prompts’ section of my blog or feel free to send me an ask or a message if there’s a specific one you’d like ^_^

Dean/Castiel

Prompt #5 from this list: “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

Castiel flashed his badge and a smile to the janitor as he opened his front door.

“Mr Faukes? FBI Agent Moore, and this is my partner, Agent Mathers. We were hoping to ask you a few questions about the incident you reported last night.”

Dean held up his own badge with a faint tightening of his eyes at the alias. It had been one of Cas’ spare sets of badges in the glove compartment of the continental, Sam had taken the impala to the next town over, where a possibly related case had also popped up. Dean hadn’t been happy about it, but he had conceded that point that seeing as he had a fully powered angel with him, it was best Sam take the vast majority of their weapons, just in case.

Faukes, after throwing a cursory glance at Dean, looked back to Castiel with a shy smile of his own. He was a tall man, late 30s, with strong arms and rugged features. His clothes looked to be a patchwork of different autumn-coloured fabrics but they blended together well and looked soft and comfortable. His light brown hair was neatly combed and he had kind brown eyes that Castiel found himself trusting.

“Sure thing,” he said, stepping back to let them in with the slightly awkward movements of someone who didn’t get a lot of visitors. His voice had a gravelly tone to it that matched the slight German accent. Castiel liked the sound. They walked past him into the small apartment. It smelled pleasantly of lemongrass and was sparsely decorated with an overflowing bookshelf, a sofa squashed beside it and a rickety desk that looked more like storage space than a place of work. A kitchenette was in one corner with a square table and a single chair for meals. The dish rack next to the sink was stuffed with crockery and there was a small sewing machine on another table, along with a couple of rolls of fabric leaning against the wall. A small electric heater clunked slightly as it fought against the morning chill. It was a messy home but meticulously clean. Faukes gestured them to the sofa and spun the dining chair around to face it before sitting himself on the plush cushion tied to the slats with ribbon, “And you can call me Matt. What do you need to know?”

“Your report said you found a jar of eyes in your boss’ office?” Dean cut in as Castiel opened his mouth. His tone was sharp, accusatory, as though Matt was their prime suspect when in reality he was just a witness. Matt looked a little unsettled at the heavy scowl Dean was levelling his way and Castiel couldn’t blame him, he shot Dean a look to take it easy, which was ignored.

“Um… yeah,” Matt said, dragging his eyes from Dean back to Castiel, who nodded encouragingly. Matt cleared his throat, fiddling with a stray thread on the hem of his shirt and began to speak, “So, I was cleaning up after we closed and I noticed the door to Mr Hitching’s office was open. I thought it was strange because even when he’s in he keeps it shut, and he’s supposed to be on holiday for the next two weeks. I figured his one of the other owners might have needed some papers or something and called up his secretary to come and fetch them so I thought I might as well just pop in to vacuum and empty the trash. But I saw it as soon as I turned the light on. It was just… sat on the desk. Like a paperweight, like it wasn’t something important enough to even hide. Five eyes. I remember thinking how weird that was, why five? That’s not even three people… That’s horrible, right? I shouldn’t have thought that.”

“Not at all.” Castiel assured him, leaning forwards intently, “When faced with trauma, the human brain—if it doesn’t reject the trauma entirely—might try to focus on certain details to distract from the trauma itself. You’d be surprised at some of the things people notice when faced with things of this nature. Sometimes their observations are vital to solving the case.”

Matt smiled again, smaller this time, but grateful. It was nice, Castiel decided, making this man smile.

“I bet you’ve got a load of stories like this, huh?” Matt said, shifting forward slightly too, sounding awed and impressed at the idea, “Job like yours. God, I couldn’t do it.”

“Well, we can’t all be janitors.” Dean muttered. The comment was innocuous enough, and Castiel would have ignored it if it hadn’t been for Dean’s tone, practically dripping with venom. Matt’s face immediately fell and Castiel shifted on the couch to glare his ‘partner’.

“Agent Mathers, that was incredibly rude. I think you owe Mr Faukes an apology.”

Dean flushed, an angry red tinge creeping up the back of his neck. He stared at Castiel and the angel saw a kaleidoscope of emotions flash across his face, too fast to catch any of them, but after a moment he relented and turned back to Matt.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled, “my partner’s right. I was out of line.”

“It’s alright,” Matt said, looking more confused than offended now, “but thank you.”

Castiel took over the questioning from there, gently prying for all the details Matt could remember. Castiel found himself intrigued by the man, it was clear he was very self-conscious, about his job, his home, himself, but there was also a confidence to him born of self-reliance that Castiel couldn’t help but respect. He also seemed grateful to talk. From what he told them, he didn’t have many friends in the community.

“It’s a small town,” he said, when Castiel asked him why that was, “around here, everyone knows everything about everyone, and they’re pretty quick to judge. Most of them are heavy church-goers. And not the kind that preach love and acceptance, if you get my meaning.”

“That must be difficult.”

Matt shrugged, “It is what it is,” he said, his head tilting slightly to the side as he met Castiel’s eyes, “but it’s nice to talk to some folks with a different mindset for a change.”

Castiel nodded, trying his best to ignore the click of Dean’s jaw and the tension oozing from the seat next to him, “I understand,” he said, “I too find it difficult to ‘branch out’ when it comes to socialising.”

That was an understatement. Excluding other angels, who were less likely to want to catch up than they were to want to bury an angel blade in his chest, most the social interaction Castiel had experienced was through the Winchesters. Sam and Dean were the best men he knew, and their chosen family was a good one, but that didn’t stop Castiel from thinking that it might be nice to have people to talk to without the weight of world-shattering consequences as a constant looming presence in every conversation.

“Anyway, thank you for your time,” he continued, standing and indicating that Dean should follow suit, “you’ve been very helpful.” He produced a card and handed it to Matt while Dean made a beeline for the door. “Here’s my number. If you remember something else, or if you just need to talk to someone with a different mindset, don’t hesitate to call.”

“Oh, I’ll definitely call.” Matt said with a wink. “Agent Moore, would it be terribly inappropriate if I were to ask you on a date?”

Dean froze, his hand on the doorknob.

“I- it would,” Castiel stuttered, heat rushing to his face, “but I think I would like that. Perhaps once this case is over?”

“Keep me updated.” Matt grinned.

Dean yanked open the door and strode off down the hall, not even waiting for Castiel to catch up. The angel rolled his eyes and glanced at Matt, who snickered and held up his card.

“Good luck with the case.”

Xxx

“I can’t believe you, Cas. First of all, you made me a rapper, what the hell? Second of all, how do you go into a freaking suspect’s house and come out with a date?”

“Nothing’s been arranged,” Castiel said calmly, watching from the end of one of the twin beds as Dean wore a path in the already threadbare carpet of their motel room, “besides, Matt isn’t a suspect, he’s a witness.”

“Until we can prove he’s not the one carving out eyes, he’s both.” Dean insisted. “I just… I don’t get it, man, I thought you liked chicks anyway?”

“I’m indifferent to gender.” Castiel said, frowning. “I’ve never understood why it matters so much to humans what pronouns their partners use. I liked him. He was interesting and kind and I would like to get to know him better, what’s wrong with that?”

“We’re in the middle of a case, Cas, you can’t afford to get… you know, distracted.”

Castiel raised an eyebrow, “and how many bartenders and waitresses and almost-victims have you gotten ‘distracted’ with, Dean?”

“That’s different!”

“How?” Castiel demanded, truly irritated now. Dean had many wonderful traits that Castiel admired but his hypocrisy was not one of them. He supposed it stemmed from being the older sibling, more often left in charge than not, ‘do as I say, not as I do’ was practically etched into his bones.

“Because...” Dean spluttered, “because they’re just a bit of fun, alright? They knew the drill, we’re not exactly planning to settle down, and were never go out on dates.” He spat the word like something filthy, “What kind of future do you expect you can have with this guy, huh? Are you gonna tell him what we do? Bring him home and introduce him to your half-archangel son and all the people we yanked from another world? The guy was squeamish about a jar of eyes, how do you think he’d handle literally any of the crap we go through?”

“A first date is not a marriage proposal, Dean. What’s the harm in dinner and a movie?”

“You don’t eat.”

“I can, I just don’t need to.” Castiel shot back, “Random sexual conquests don’t appeal to me. I would rather find a person I have a connection with, and I felt I had a connection with Matt. Why are you so angry? The last time I had a date you were happy for me. Is it really because he’s a man?”

“No!” Dean yelled, a little too loudly, he winced as the sound bounced back to him from the cheap cinderblock walls and lowered his voice to a hiss, his arms folded tightly across his chest and he finally stopped pacing, “It’s because I think you’re being irresponsible. We don’t know that we’re not gonna have to gut that guy before the week is out. And what are you talking about a connection? You spoke for half an hour, you don’t build a connection in half an hour.”

“You’re not angry-” Castiel realised, squinting at the man in front of him. His hands were tucked up into his armpits and his shoulders were slightly rounded, almost as though he was trying to curl into himself, “you’re hurt. Wait a minute, are you jealous?”

“What?!” Dean exclaimed, “Jealous? No, I’m not jealous. Of what? I didn’t like that guy.”

Castiel tilted his head, “Then what?” he asked, his voice low and even, “You don’t like that I like him? You don’t like that I could possibly show interest in anyone other than you?”

Dean took a step back like Castiel had hit him. All the blood drained from his face.

“What are you talking about?” He said, which is what Dean always said when confronted with something he didn’t want to admit to.

“Come on, Dean,” Castiel said impatiently, “you’re not stupid and subtlety isn’t my strong suit. You know how I feel about you, you’ve known it for years. So you don’t want it but you don’t want anyone else to want it either?”

“That’s… that’s not-” Dean choked out, looking sick now, “I didn’t mean-”

“Then what?” Castiel cried, finally standing to be on even ground with Dean. He was frustrated, he was angry, he was overwhelmed, “Explain it to me, because I don’t understand.”

Instead of speaking, Dean’s jaw snapped shut and for a moment, Castiel was sure he was going to bolt from the room. Instead he strode forward two steps and cupped Castiel’s face with his hands before bringing their lips together, effectively shorting out his brain.

“I’ve always wanted you.” Dean murmured against his mouth, “Since Purgatory I’ve let myself want you. But if I had you, I could lose you. And I’m not strong enough to lose you.”

They stayed that way for a while, breathing each other’s air, foreheads pressed together, lips barely brushing. Dean’s hands were warm and calloused and gentle against his skin, Castiel’s hands gripped at the fabric of Dean’s shirt, though he didn’t remember moving.

“It’s worth it for this,” Castiel whispered back, half-lost in the feeling of Dean so close, “isn’t it?”

“Losing you sucked bad, Cas.” Dean said shaking his head and pulling back slightly, just enough that they could lock eyes, “I gave up.”

Castiel sighed and pulled away completely, stepping back, feeling cold as Dean’s hands left him. “I understand,” he said, “but I disagree. Neither of us can guarantee forever and it’s not fair for you to try and keep me from seeking elsewhere something that you aren’t willing to give me.”

“I know,” Dean said, but he reached out to take his hand and slot their fingers together, “So this is me realising that I’m willing, I guess.”

Castiel squeezed his hand and quirked a small smile, “Finally.”

[coffee-for-himchan]

Unapproachable (Yongguk)

Word count: 3.3 k+

Summary: “Yongguk hyung will accept you if you approach him on your own.” - Yoo Youngjae

He seemed to be so far away, despite sitting in the same room as her.

Unapproachable is only one way to define him. Not that she had ever tried at least moderately hard to talk to him, but she was sure she would face failure if she tried anyways. He was present, yet seemed to be absent to anyone who didn’t meet his needs or interests. Talking, yet the sound escaping his lips was meant for only a few to hear.

He was there, yet she hesitated. She wanted to get to know him so bad, yet she feared to be turned down with mere words on first try more than anything, so she stayed silent and watched from the distance.

The first time something snapped was when she was standing in the parking lot, and he had come out of the studio building and urgently half-jogged over to his scooter.

Needless to say, she thought his choice of vehicle was rather odd. But she had seen his sneaky heartwarming smiles he sometimes gifted others with, and the way he cared for all but himself. Soft and squishy on the inside despite seeming like trouble on first glance, that’s how he was. And a scooter weirdly added to his mixed aesthetic.

“Oh no,” he kept muttering as the thing wouldn’t budge, and gave up after a few tries. Letting a hand run through his hair, he looked down at it as if his life depended on it.

“Hey, um.. Do you need a ride somewhere?”

He looked over to see her standing a few feet in front of him, her stare shyly directed at her shoelaces as she shifted from her tip toes to her heels.

“Mhmm.. If it doesn’t trouble you.”

“It really doesn’t,” their eyes met, and she found his to be surprisingly cold. But maybe it wasn’t because he thought she was someone he didn’t want to have ties with. Maybe it was because he seemed unapproachable. Or maybe it was because he needed time to let anyone at least a little near.

He carefully got into the passenger’s seat of her car, and waited as she got in herself and turned the key in the ignition.

“I figured you’re working here, but I can’t quite recall your name,” he said quietly, and she pretended not to be hurt by it. Of course. They had seen each other, but he didn’t remember, because she was just another meaningless face. And he didn’t know her name because she’d never had the chance to tell him.

“(Y/N),” she introduced, yet found no response from him whatsoever, until it was almost too late and inappropriate to comment.

“Nice to meet you,” he smiled a little, and she silently melted from the teeniest of his gestures. 

Nice. He thought it was nice to meet her.

The ride turned out to be silent, and she found the quietness burdening. He was looking out of the window and not helping her at all. She knew he was quiet, but this was a little too quiet even for him. Was there something wrong?

“Should I pick you up later as well?” she questioned, smiling at him charmingly and hoping to somehow acquire his number like this. But he simply got out, said “thanks” and smiled, stating he’d somehow get back on his own.

That was her first direct interaction with Bang Yongguk. And despite hearing rumors about him being the sweetest, he still seemed nothing but unapproachable to her.

They bumped into each other accidentally the next week, and as her papers went flying into the air at the impact with his frame, he seemed to not recall her.

“I-i’m sorry,” she muttered, feeling embarrassed, and knelt to gather the paperwork.

“No need for apologies. It was my fault,” his low voice calmly rang through her ears, and he knelt down as well, helping her to get a hold of the pages. She hoped it would turn out just like in the movies - she wanted their fingers to accidentally touch, and wanted him to stare at her longingly, clearing all her anxieties with one of his beautiful smiles and inviting her to go get coffee or something, feeling apologetic for causing inconvenience. Yet in reality, when all papers had been gathered and no hands had touched, he handed her the stack  and, with a half-smile, left.

It was when he was already out of sight when she remembered.

“Yongguk hyung!” she called politely, seeing as his frame stopped in motion and turned to face her while she ran up to him

“Here. This is for you.”

He inspected the page in his hands, and she didn’t know if she should stay around waiting for a “thanks” or if she should simply leave.

“I thought I told them I’d come and pick it up myself,” his tone wasn’t exactly harsh but she feared he’d hate her for being nosy about his own business.

“Y-yeah.. I h-had to get paperwork to needed places a-anyways. And figured you were busy, so I thought I-i’d help.”

And again, earning nothing but a smile and a “thanks”, she was left in the hallway to stand alone.

Why on Earth was he really being so unapproachable?

She figured that with no cameras on him, he had nothing to be nice about. Not that he wasn’t nice - he was simply rather emotionless to all who seemed miscellaneous to him. Her included.

That was her initial perception, until she started viewing him from another perspective. He had so much more than just an outer layer to himself, and she figured he might have troubles letting new people into his life. So she tried not to break her heart over it. It wasn’t the fact he hated her. He simply didn’t know a lot about her.

The universe seemed to have a love-hate relationship with her, as it kept bringing up possibilities for the two of them to meet. Her face became a regular daily thing in his life, yet every so often he’d ask.

“What was your name again?”

And she would smile at him, yet feel shattered into a million pieces on the inside, simply answering, “(Y/N)”

Unapproachable. Still so damn unapproachable it hurt.

Yet one day it literally hurt, and she had been staring at him not so subtly while walking down the stairs and had slipped up, tumbling down a dangerous amount of steps until her frame hit the floor with a loud thud, causing all stares to snap into her direction. Including his.

What had she done?

She winced in pain before doing anything else. Great. A hurting ankle was all she needed.

Some were nice enough to come up and ask her if she was fine, and even though she waved everyone away and told them it was nothing, her face displayed the opposite. She really was in pain.

A shadow cast in front of her, and grew larger as a frame she knew too well approached slowly. The little crowd that had gathered parted without signal, and he stood in front of her for a moment before kneeling down and looking her right in the eyes.

“You okay, (Y/N)?”

She gasped a little as she realized he’d finally memorized her name. And as a few more gasps could be heard, she looked around to find surprised stares.

Who was she, and why did he all of a sudden care so much? Even she didn’t know herself.

“K-kinda,” she stuttered, breaking away from his demanding, never ending intense stare. Her eyes found solitude in the wall clock that showed there was still half an hour of working day left. Half an hour before she could finally be home.

“Can you stand up?”

She wanted to shake her head “yes” as she looked back at him, yet when she moved her foot, another painful sensation shot through her leg, causing her to flinch and hold back a few tears.

“I d-doubt it.”

He shifted, and she thought - finally. He would go away, and she would be able to somehow stumble back to her car, and hopefully be able to drive home as well, forgetting this embarrassing encounter forever. Yet as his arms made their way around her and scooped her up from the ground, she looked no less shocked than many others who witnessed the sight.

“I think you should go home now,” he mumbled after he’d fully picked her up bridal-style, and started carrying her away from all the stares and the attention. She didn’t move. Hell, she didn’t even breathe. Her hand clung lightly onto his shirt as she realized he was carrying her out the building. Bang Yongguk, out of all the people, had thrown everything aside to help her when she needed it the most.

To her surprise, he seated her on his scooter, lifting her foot up to inspect the damage as she flinched in pain at the movement.

“Or maybe we should go to the hospital..” he questioned, and looked at her, hoping she’d voice her answer. But as all he was met with was a broken and frightened gaze, he softened up, letting his whole cold image drop as he put her leg down.

“Don’t worry. It’s going to be much better to go and check than to live in pain and in the blue.”

His opinions were always voiced in a fashion that made people agree and believe - this time not being an exception. And as she lightly shook her head in agreement, he helped her get into an appropriate position on the scooter, and even put his helmet on her with extra care.

“D-don’t you need this?” she shyly asked as his face was beyond close distance, his slim fingers closing up the helmet.

“I’d rather you have it on,” he answered, and without additional ceremonies, hopped onto the now working vehicle and started it up.

The ride through half-Seoul on his scooter was rather mesmerizing, despite the painfully hurting ankle. And as she finally had a proper excuse to hold onto him tightly, since that’s how riding a scooter together worked. She felt how pleasantly warm his whole body was. It was so inviting that she wanted to stay forever, yet the inevitable visit to the hospital followed in mere minutes, and he climbed off, carefully picking her up bridal-style again and walking through the entrance doors as if he was king.

She kept on blushing as he carried her this way up to the check-in desk, and calmly explained the situation while holding her tight and close. He only let her down when they were in the doctor’s office, and stayed there to listen to the doctor’s verdict, looking at her swollen ankle with no emotion whatsoever. No visible emotion, at least.

“Yep, a broken bone,” the doctor checked the x-rays and made her groan lightly in dissatisfaction. She’d never broken a bone prior to that. And she’d never felt like such a fool - breaking a bone from slipping up on the stairs. All because she was too mesmerized with the sight of him.

He disappeared only when they asked him to, and she stayed for an hour or two longer, getting a cast placed on her foot and instructions given to her, as well as a leave.

Three weeks. Three weeks of not working, and three weeks of not seeing his pretty face.

She had silently wished for him to be still around when she exited the room, standing up with the help of crutches now, but he had gone with the wind. Of course. He had already done beyond enough for her, and thinking he’d still be around was absurd.

She slowly made her way to the lobby, hoping to call one of her friends up to get dropped off at home. Yet before she could do anything, a nice-looking nurse approached.

“(Y/N)?”

“Yes?” she answered, curious on what would follow.

“There’s a taxi waiting for you outside. I’ll show you, let’s go.”

And her heart fluttered with newfound affection as she realized he was gone, yet had even arranged her a way to get home. He cared somehow. Maybe it was just because he was good at heart, but she let her fantasies wander as she sat in the backseat of the taxi, heading home.

Maybe he in fact was a little approachable. And she had successfully done so.

Three weeks passed slowly. She was ashamed to admit she often dreamed of him, yet at home, in her own four wall environment, there was no one to judge her for her dreams and thoughts. So she let herself loose.

Oh god, she didn’t know where to start. He had suddenly become ten times more desirable after that incident, and with each passing day she thought she couldn’t fall for him even more. Yet she found herself sinking lower.

As week four came around the corner and she was still on crutches, yet feeling much better as she moved through the hallways of the studio building, not sure on how much she was capable of doing, but ready to catch up on all she had missed,she was so ready for another faithful encounter. A less painful one this time around though, preferably.

He showed up sometime mid-day, seemingly walking past accidentally.

“Hey, (Y/N).”

Well, at least he still remembered her name.

“Hey, Yongguk hyung.”

He chuckled, and she wondered about his reasons. Was it her use of “hyung”, or maybe the way she looked so taken aback by his greeting? Eitherways, he pointed at the stack of papers she held in her hand, and kindly offered his help.

And as they walked down the hallways, she looked at him with a puzzled expression, even creating herself the illusion that he looked like he’d missed her.

What if he actually did?

He started appearing out of nowhere at times - it wasn’t a desperate amount of stalkerish following her around, but she was certain all these meetings weren’t coincidence. And neither were the times he seemed to need a ride somewhere, just like the first time they talked.

“You must think I’m quite lame, right?” he chuckled a little once, looking out of the car window as they drove into a direction only he knew.

“Why would I think that way?”

“I mean, look at me. I drive a scooter that occasionally works and you have to take me places by car,” he tried to play it off as if he was joking around, yet she thought she heard concern in his voice. And it surprised her as she realized.

Maybe he even cared what she thought of him at that point.

“What’s wrong with a scooter?” he glanced at her as she said it, smiling lightly, “I think it suits you well-”

Crap. She took a note to herself to remove Yamazaki from her playlist later that evening, as when the addictive beat of the song started blasting through the car stereo speakers, she wanted to vanish on the spot. In utter shame, or maybe rather awkwardness.

Yet whe he didn’t say anything and she sneakily glanced over, she saw him smiling.

“N-nice song, r-right?”

“You like it?”

“I o-only have things I l-like on my playlist..”

And with every encounter, things seemed to lead into the right direction. Soon he greeted her every time he saw her around, and they managed to make small talk consisting of smiles and giggles daily. His phone number had made it’s way into her phone under the playful contact name “Bbang” somehow, and she wondered if he had somehow placed it there at some point. As days passed and his heart seemed less and less frozen towards her, she kept considering.

How unapproachable was he really?

“Yongguk hyung, take a look at this.”

“When are you going to stop it?”

He looked her straight in the eyes, and only his gummy smile gave away that he wasn’t annoyed by her, because his voice sure indicated it.

“The whole “hyung” thing. There’s another nice word there. Here, repeat,“ he leaned in a little, and for the first time in her life she got to see his infamous broken aegyo up close.

"Oppa.”

Giggles escaped her as he repeated it a few times, being generous and adding in an occasional “bbuing bbuing bbuing” as well, just for her entertainment.

“Yongguk oppa?” she questioned, and he seemed to like her new form of addressing him.

“I’m sorry to break the news to you, but your aegyo is a little off.”

“Didn’t seem like you had issues with it,” he quietly answered, and she smiled.

This was such a big step from half a year ago. And he suddenly was so approachable. Quite the opposite of how he used to seem to her.

And it all finally paid off when he once called her to come and pick him up from the studio.

“It’s 1 AM, Yongguk oppa. Can’t you call Himchan hyung or something?” she asked through never ending yawns as he had woken her up from slumber, but she stumbled around the house to get ready nonetheless. His deep voice displayed mischief, and as he spoke, she knew he, for some reason, was as happy as ever.

“I have some ice to break to you. And since I’m quite confident currently, it would be appreciated if you’d come.”

And she did, quietly opening the studio door to see him standing in the middle of the room, taking apart random paperwork.

“Hey..” she simply answered, putting her bag down and taking her coat off, curious on what would follow. Yet she had no time to wonder as he approached rather quickly, backing her off into the door.

“Yongguk op-”

“I don’t know how to talk to girls, so forgive me. And I’m a poet only when writing lyrics. But I like you. A lot. And I thought you should know.”

Despite surprise being written on her face, he still had his hopes high up, especially after she quietly muttered his name and he saw her whole world breaking apart in her eyes.

“But you’re so.. unapproachable.”

And he chuckled, knowing she was beyond right. Knowing he was the worst at making new friends and acquaintances, and being aware he probably had hurt her with a few forgotten things, meaningless stares and wrong actions along the way, but also knowing something more than that. 

He had weirdly found a liking in her, since that time she was nice enough to let all of her working plans for the day slip just to drive him to a meeting and get hardcore scolded the next day for being absent. Since that time she’d spilled her papers as he’s bumped into her accidentally, and came off too nervous of him to not come off as having a big crush as well. Since that time she started helping him in little, subtle ways, thinking he didn’t notice while in reality he simply didn’t tell her he noticed, or showed it in any other way.

Oh, and since that time she fell and broke her ankle because the was too caught up staring at him.

Yes, he knew it all. And he had finally gathered up enough courage to repay her for all her emotional issues, and her patience with him. Her patience of falling in love with someone as unapproachable as him.

“Am I really?” his hands found their way to her hips, and she found herself being pressed against the door. His smile was mischievous, a type of smile he shed only occasionally, and she wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible, preferably by kissing him. But he’d decided to take it in his own hands.

“Can I?”

“I don’t know it you can. But you’re allowed to,” she said, and watched his eyes close in joy at the given green light, his lips sinking into hers within a second.

Ahh, hell. And he tasted like heaven as well. All he had, plus this. What more could anyone want in a man?

“I might seem like it at first,” he told after another peck that had both of them close to the edge, “But I’m beyond approachable if you get to know me.”

She could only hum in response, the noise she made coming out shaky and making him chuckle at how weak he had already gotten her. And this was only the start.

“Yongguk oppa?”

“Hmm?” he asked, moving from his mouth to kiss down her jawline instead as she intended to speak.

“Could I get to know you more?”

And oh, he sure intended to let her at it. Without further explanation or consequence, but most of all - without worry.

Because for her, he was approachable. More than that, in fact.

[electricbluebutterflies]

take this pain & turn it into gold

"All of a sudden everything is too much and he falls."

Or, survivor’s guilt is the actual worst and Rey is REALLY stubborn. Damerey-ish (main part of fic is pre-relationship), PG-ish, and also on ao3. Title from “Champion” by Barns Courtney.

In some ways, he dug his own grave.

Poe learned early that some of his traits were more valuable than others, more likely to get him attention or status or whatever else he wanted. And most of those traits being strengths, he learned to play them forward. As time went on and he grew into himself, he wove a web to hide behind and a mask to keep him safe, but now… now that all feels like a mistake.

He hasn't been vulnerable around another human being in about a decade, maybe even longer, he's not even sure at this point. He's gotten so good at being the positive one, the burst of sunlight and borderline-delusional optimism that keeps everything moving along. Even covered in his own blood, even after being captured and having his mind invaded, he's always been the public face of hope. Some of it's real, some of it isn't - he lost track of how to tell which is which, isn't sure if he even cares or if it matters.

That was before, though. In the last few days, he's lost count of how many of his friends and fellow pilots have gone down. He's even less sure how many are left, but it seems like the entire goddamned Resistance has decided he's their walking motivational poster and it's a lot and it's starting to hurt.

Like, he's not sure what this pain is, but it's in his head and his veins and he's pretty sure there's no way to make it stop. So instead, he lets himself drown.

He still smiles in the presence of any other living thing, and maybe the playful comments take a little more effort to create but it's not like any of them know that. Everyone's lost someone recently, and some much more than that. A general aura of mourning hangs over the new base, so the expectations are a little lower, a little easier to meet. At this level, he figures he can go a while longer without crashing. Couple weeks, maybe. Enough for the rest of them to see that he's probably not their savior anymore.

And then he's in the hangar - he's still learning this place, taking advantage of the current lay-low tactic to familiarize himself with new circumstances and surroundings and protocols - and all of a sudden the mere feeling of his hand against tarnished metal is too damn much, everything is too much, and he falls.

There are words for this feeling, he knows. There are words and there are things smart people do when it hits, but he can't remember any of them and it's the best he can do to sit down on the cold concrete floor and take slow breaths and not break completely. Not enough, but something. Not enough, but-

"What's wrong?"

This is his goddamn luck, he thinks bitterly, glancing up at the unexpected noise. As intruders go, at least this could be worse. Rey is… a lot of things, most of them out of his range of his understanding, but he highly doubts she's come bearing a to-do list so at least she's got that going for her. And what few interactions he's had with her, she seems to have the same light in her that most people assume he's still got, so…

"Ever wonder how you're still alive?" he mutters. That's vague enough not to get him put on a watch, right?

"Yeah. Why?"

Poe motions for the girl to join him on the ground, doesn't expect her to actually join him but is pleasantly surprised when she does. "Half the people I cared about have died in the last month. And I didn't."

"Because you're the best pilot we have," she laughs, clearly not processing the gravity of the situation.

He buries his face in his hands, suddenly afraid he's going to end up crying before she figures out he wants to be alone. "Some of them were better. Some of them had families. I just got stuck… too charming for my own good, too easy to position as a leader, too-"

"Shhh. I've seen you fly, and I've heard how the General talks about you. You earned your position."

She's not wrong, and that in turn makes him a little bit angry. "Doesn't give me any right to be the only survivor."

"You're brave. Everyone says you are. Brave and kind in equal measures."

"Damn stupid and prone to getting my squad killed," he corrects.

"Not your fault."

"Yeah. Yeah it is. Not cautious enough. They say that too, if you're actually listening."

He's amazed she's stuck around this long. He can't recall ever being this venomous towards someone who didn't directly have it coming, but beyond that, he doubted Rey's bullshit tolerance was this good. He's seen her in action and quite likes that impression, but she hadn't struck him as someone who can tolerate massive amounts of self-loathing and-

"Maybe I don't care."

"You should. Reputation's everything, especially as small as we are now."

"So?"

"So you're young and feral and don't know better, but that won't protect you when you take the wrong side."

The words come out too fast, before he thinks them through, and he's half worried she's going to hit him or something (he wouldn't blame her), but instead she curls into a ball and starts… shit, she's crying. Well this is a couple levels of unexpected mess.

"I didn't mean harm, okay? I just want you safe. And being by my side when the higher-ups finally notice my body count goes both ways… that's probably not gonna work out so well for you."

Rey barely looks up at him. "At least you're honest," she breathes. "Better than most."

"I try."

"I know. That's why I came out here. Wanted a distraction and thought you might want some help."

"Nothing to help with," Poe murmurs. "Until we start running missions again, these fighters are as good condition as they're realistically getting. I've just been looking for any quirks I might need to know about."

"Found any?"

"Not yet."

They sit in silence for a while, each lost in their own mind, and it hits him that he didn't expect this from her either. There's strong empathy in their hesitant friendship, like their wildly different roots don't matter, and this too joins them together. Her history of loss is different than his, he's pretty sure, but the pain still burns the same.

All of a sudden, an idea hits him.

"Want to help with something?"

"What's the project?"

"Little early for war memorials, but this place will probably get blown to bits in a month anyways, so… we could do something. Write names on a wall. It's an old tradition. Usually done a little more permanent, but-"

"Why do you need my help?"

"Not need. Want. Not sure if I can do it alone without crashing again, and… you did say you were bored," he points out, a genuine smile almost ghosting across his lips.

"Not exactly bored so much as don't feel like watching Finn try to teach Rose how to shoot," she laughs.

"Our droid there recording it?"

"Probably?"

"Good. There's no way that works out for either of them… she's trained on machines, not close range. Version I heard from her sister, there were reasons."

Rey playfully rolls her eyes. "They're in love. Everything's a good idea."

"You learn quick."

"Turns out Finn's enthusiasm about you was nothing compared to his new adventure," Rey laughs. "So, project?"

"I think I saw some paint somewhere. If you're okay spotting…"

-------

The first memorial of this particular war survives a surprising nine weeks. A replica, with more names added each time but always in the same style, is painted in each subsequent base until the war ends.

The final one goes up three exhausting years later, in the aftermath of a battle that turns out to be the beginning of the end. Its creators have changed since they first claimed this project for themselves. The woman is still adjusting to use of a prosthetic hand, and the man has lost track of times his own name nearly joined the list.

"Do you think the General would approve of the way we did her name?" the woman asks, reaching for her partner's hand with her real one.

"She told me to do it like that," he replies. "Whole list of a legacy she decided to give me, but that was the easy part."

"Want help with the rest of it?"

"Yeah. Just in case I fall again."

She twirls around and kisses him, and it's something like hope.

"I'll catch you."

[kyluxtrashpit]

Okay so now for the real post. I was prepared to write this whole big thing about the kylux fandom and why I’m staying despite some things and such but honestly the movie was pretty good? As some of you know, I was fucking TERRIFIED I’d have to leave the ship (also shoutout to those who helped calm me down; you know who you are <3). I have some quibbles, which I’ll get into below, but overall it was pleasantly surprising. FYI this post of full of spoilers and please remember I spoiled myself on a good amount of it before going in. I’m also very happy I did

And also… this was all 100% in line with the headcanons I already had for kylux? I’ve seen a lot of people freaking out and jumping ship and saying we need to completely reimagine the characters, which, sure, if you want to, go nuts, but idk I didn’t personally get anything like that? Snoke pitting them against each other, because you know if he talked shit about Hux to Kylo, he’s definitely doing it the other way around too. And yes, Kylo does attack Hux, but Hux was also about to kill him before he woke up, even if Kylo doesn’t know that, so we’re in exactly the same place as before. I could talk a lot about why their characterizations are exactly in line with the way I saw and wrote them before and why Kylo taking on the mantle of Supreme Leader does not mean Hux is inferior to him in practice in any way, shape, or form, but this post is way too fucking long already so I’ll save it for another day

Instead, here’s a list of Thoughts in no particular order:

Kylo was fucking PHENOMENAL. This. This is what I wanted. My boy being unstable as fuck and making terrible split-second impulse decisions and getting himself in way over his head. He’s going to regret taking the throne in like 3 days. Guaranteed. He’s made the biggest mistake of his life and he doesn’t even know it yet because he has no idea what he actually wants, just saw an opportunity and went ‘oh shit… the throne is empty… wait. I know how to sit?? I could sit on it??? YES THIS IS A GREAT IDEA I’M THE NEW LEADER FUCK YES’. I fucking love my disaster boy. I love him so much I can’t even articulate it

Also like… Rey shows him one small moment of kindness and he’s immediately like ‘someone was nice to me??? okay cool this is all it took to convince me to kill my abusive mentor for the last better part of a decade who’s been in my head for almost my entire life just because of that’ and like… that is both the most Kylo thing I’ve ever seen and the biggest mood I’ve ever had. This is why we always wrote Hux capable of manipulating him and why Snoke was able to manipulate him; Kylo aches for positive attention from literally anyone

“I want every gun we have to fire on that man” JFC HONEY NO. But on a more serious note, the second the mask comes off, all of his control is gone. He’s trying so hard to assert his dominance and power over everyone he encounters because he thinks that will make him feel better, that it’s what he wants, but he’s so fucking out of control and out of his depth that it just utterly falls flat, just like in tfa after the mask came off. He can Force choke and throw people all he wants, literally no one is fooled. He has no idea what he’s doing and it’s staggeringly obvious

I also really liked seeing baby Ben, even for just like 10 seconds

Literally the only Kylo thing I did not like were his pants. Like goddamn boy, that waist is way too high. No wonder your temper is so finicky. I’d be angry too if I was wearing uncomfortable, excessively high-waisted pants all the time

I, too, did not like the dumb humour with Hux (see: the entire opening bit. Like literally all of it; Poe should not have been able to pull that off and Hux is not that stupid) but I also still see the Hux I’ve come to love in there. The snark, pulling a gun without hesitation on Kylo for the double tap but being smart enough to hide it when he wakes up, the entire command shuttle bit (except the Force throw – that was unnecessary), and especially that glare of absolute rage and hatred at Kylo once he turns away inside the base on Crait. I’m okay with tired disaster Hux and you can tell he’s already planning a coup. The army seems to still be under his control anyway; he just needs to wait until Kylo finishes digging his own grave and then give him that extra push into it

That said, I’m really glad we got to see Hux bitch slap someone, even if I wish it hadn’t been Finn

Rose was the other highlight of the movie right up until the kiss with Finn. I loved their interactions but the unnecessary heterosexuality was just… no. And then the bit at the end that definitely looked towards a love triangle? *loud gagging noises* no, fuck that shit. Literally everything else with her was absolutely amazing though, especially the Canto Bight stuff

Finn felt… off somehow? I can’t explain why, but he just felt like a weaker character here. Finn was really compelling in tfa and I really wanted more with him and to learn more about him, but I feel like he didn’t do much? The fight with Phasma was a little underwhelming (also she deserved to go out more impressively than that) and most of the other stuff was someone else instigating and him just going along. He seemed… too passive, maybe? I can’t put my finger on what was off, but I didn’t like it and I’m a little let down there. I also really wanted him to be Force-sensitive and really felt he was built up to be. How else was he the only person to ever break FO conditioning?

Poe was also… not how I imagined? I always saw him as the ‘calm pal’ kinda guy but I guess he’s a little more jumped up than I expected. Not a gripe, per se, but just surprising. They also very much did demote him from main character status, which is kinda sad

Admiral Holdo was a fucking boss and I love her. So was Leia for most of it (expect what was with that space scene?). Fuck yeah powerful older women. I need so much more immediately. However, I also wish Leia had gotten more time and it also saddens me that she’s now lost her entire family. Yes, she has the Resistance, and Poe and Rey and Finn, but she has no one from her past. Literally no one. Leia had already lost so much coming into this trilogy and it’s absolutely tragic that all she did was lose more. Leia deserved better, but with Carrie gone, we know Leia won’t be getting it in 9

DJ WAS FANTASTIC. I did not see that coming. And I hope we never see him again because it would ruin the purpose of his character

I liked most of Rey’s arc. I wasn’t sure about the Force bond (I knew about it beforehand) but it ended up working for me and was actually really cool. I still do not ship r*ylo at all (it’s just not for me, ship what you want), but their interactions are intriguing and I can understand why things played out how they did. Rey wanted help for the rebellion and a teacher. She thought that was Luke, but it wasn’t, and then she thought that was Kylo, but it wasn’t. I think she just needs to realize that maybe it’s up to her to be the one to help the rebellion. She’s figured out most of the Force on her own already; I don’t think she needs a teacher. Although the jealous look towards Finn and Rose was just awful. I’m also very concerned for her arc in 9 because I swear if they make it all about trying to save Kylo, I’d be fucking pissed. She’s her own character. She doesn’t exist to help him

I’m also… not sure I buy Rey being a nobody? It’s either a lie or just bad writing to lead up to it. Because in tfa, it’s always ‘who’s the girl?’, ‘what girl?’, etc. I also always got the feeling that Kylo knew who she was, somehow? And why did the Skywalker family lightsaber choose her over Kylo? Why does she have the same amount of power as Kylo if there’s no relation whatsoever? How are her parents buried on Jakku if she saw a ship flying away? I just feel like it was built up to lead elsewhere and then it didn’t. Then again, it is possible Kylo is lying or only thinks he knows, but idk. It’s not that I hate the idea of her being a nobody, but the execution of it was tremendously clumsy

As for Luke… I don’t know. Luke has never been the kind of person to attack first. He is a gentle flower. The entire point of him is his idealism, his hope, his kindness. Even if it was in a moment of instinct, of fear, I don’t think he’d pull a lightsaber first on anyone, especially a family member, no matter how much Dark was in him. Luke saw the Light in Darth Vader, of all people. That it was stressed to be an accident and for Luke to realize he’d fucked up big helped, but I still don’t know if I buy it. I understand bringing flaws to Luke, but I don’t think these were the right flaws to bring. I… don’t know. I haven’t decided how I feel about this yet. And also his death was just odd? What killed him? Was the implication that Force-projecting that far is too hard? Idk, it was really strange and I didn’t get it. I need to think on how I feel about it. Also ‘see you around, kid’ was a pretty dumb last line. Even though I’m pretty sure it was more a promise/threat than anything else. He’s going to be haunting the shit out of everyone

I really liked the crystal foxes. I want 10 of them immediately. However, I have no strong feelings one way or the other on the porgs

THE FUCKING IRON. Jfc I was like ‘omfg that ship looks like an iron, that’s so ridiculous’ AND THEN IT WASN’T A SHIP, IT WAS JUST AN IRON. It was inordinately funny to me. I lost my shit and my friend gave me a dubious look

I wish we’d seen the KOR and I really, really hope we do in 9. Come on, JJ, I believe in you. Let me see the rest of the disaster children in action

Yoda’s cameo was kinda dumb and unnecessary. I know that was supposed to be the moment that changed Luke’s mind but… ehhh. I could’ve done without

The bit at the end with the random kid was also stupid and I wish they’d cut it

Now the biggest thing is… where the fuck are they going with 9? The Resistance is 10 people in the Falcon, the Order is being run by a guy who has absolutely no fucking clue what he’s doing and a second in command that is ready to murder the shit out of him the second he gets the chance. Leia probably won’t be there, so the OT trio is gone. This movie was also weird because it was like… the span of a day and a half? At most? It’s a really strange timeline to go with imo and it’s going to make 9 hard. I’m scared Rey will become an accessory to Kylo’s story (which is most likely going to end up as an even more ham-fisted redemption arc than it would’ve been if it had started in 8). Like no one is in a powerful place. If there were 2 more movies coming, I think it would work, but with only 1? Ehhhh, idk. I have faith in JJ but in some ways he’s been written into a corner, I think. We’ll have to see, I guess

[singingunderthecurtain]

DIAMOND (CEO AU Baekhyun Series) Part 1 [Under Construction]

Also on AFF

Picture not mine, found everything on Google

Author: @julietsoddeye AU: CEO!Baekhyun Genre: Angst | Smut | Romance Pairing: Baekhyun x Lee Soojin (OC) Trigger Warning: Smut on future chapters. Mentions of car accident. Mentions of being blind. Baekhyun being an a-hole. Word Count: 2,554

Plot: After 10 years of exile to another country, Soojin is finally back home and was surprised to find out that she was already engaged to the son of her father's long-time friend and business partner.

A/N: Yay for a new series!!! Lmfao hope y’all like CEO Baekhyun lmfao.

Diamond Mini Masterlist

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20

It’s not even an hour yet since Soojin got home from her 10-year exile in another country, and her father is already asking for her to come into his office. For a normal person with a normal family, she should be excited to see her father after years of being apart. But Soojin is far from normal. 

Her family, her lifestyle, everything around her is far from normal. She was born into a family that is so rich, no one except people like herself can reach her or any of them.

Soojin and her siblings were put in an exclusive school, where children of the rich and famous like herself, can only go. You cannot interact with just anyone, especially not other kids from lower ranks. Soojin's parents were overprotective of her and her siblings. But their father’s affection for her disappeared when he banished Soojin at thirteen years old. He sent her away from the comforts of her own home, away from her mother and siblings. Away from the mansion she once called home.

Soojin was sad and depressed for half a decade after she was banished. She started closing herself away from people, including her own family, even the people who took care of her while living away alone. 

But then she realized along the line that this exile was kind of like a form of freedom she was always hoping for when she was younger. She was able to socialize with people who are very different from her without the parents she once knew to stop her from doing so. She even acquired two best friends. Yes, not one, but two people she can call her best friends. Soojin met a lot of people from all walks of life in those ten years that she was away from home, but only those two stayed.

Soojin knows everything about them and they know everything about her as well. They know that she is the daughter of the mighty Lee Seungho, second richest and powerful man in South Korea. But not once they took advantage of Soojin or the name she was carrying in her birth certificate. They offered her nothing but genuine friendship and love she never got from her own father.

As Soojin was climbing the grand stairs up to the second floor to her father’s office, dragging her pointer finger up the Australian Buloke handrails, she saw a significantly young maid looking at her wide-eyed as if she saw a ghost. The maid traced where her eyes were looking and she ended her gaze with Soojin's finger touching the rail. Soojin saw her continue to polish the handrails while still looking at her with a conscious-stricken expression on her face.

Soojin removed her fingers away from the rails and saw a light layer of dust stained her skin. The young maid bowed downed ninety degrees while nervously speaking of nonstop apologies to her. Soojin walked up to her, touched the young girl's hand and gave her a sincere smile. She immediately froze under Soojin's touch; she probably never had a good experience working in this household. She felt bad for this poor young woman.

When Soojin got in front of her father’s office door, she hesitated at first, but then let out a nervous sigh and knocked anyway. She was surprised she still knows where his father's office was located at after a decade of being gone. There are a lot of changes around the mansion and the whole fifty-acre property in general; additional small cottages were added as chambers for the helpers and a barn because her sister likes horses, as far as she knows she has four horses she keeps as pets.

After a few seconds, Soojin pulls down the lever handle and pushed the heavy wooden door open. Old classical music was playing softly that entered her ears pleasantly and the view of her parents sweetly laughing and talking while seated together on an office couch, feeding each other fruits almost made her smile. It was nice that they still show affection even after a lot of years of being together. But then the mere fact that her father sent her away and her mother letting it happen, stopped Soojin from giving them any form of emotion.

“Darling, come right in. Join us for some fruits.” 

Her mother, whom she hadn’t seen in two years, looks up at her with a warm and gentle smile. Although Soojin was glued awkwardly by the door frame.

“Come in.” 

The autocratic voice of her father woke her up from her own thoughts suddenly. Finally stepping inside and closing the door behind her. When she was about a meter away from her parents, Soojin bowed down in front of them before standing up straight again.

“Sit down darling, we need to catch up.” 

Catch up? She wanted to scoff at her words so badly, but she knew her mother only means better. She at least tried visiting her whenever she can and stay with her for long months on end. Unlike her father who never communicated with her, not once, not even one phone call. Not even a letter or an email.

“Are you finally settled in your room?” 

Soojin's mother initiates when she didn’t talk.

“Yes.” 

She lied. She was only been there for thirty minutes straight from her flight when she was summoned by both of them all of a sudden.

“Good to hear dear. Here, have some melon. They’re from Japan. The sweet kind which is your favorite.” 

Her mother smiles sweetly as she pushes the bowl of melons and softly laid down a spare fork on a table napkin in front of her. Soojin finally looks up and saw her father looking at her stoically. Equally, if not more, unemotional as she's trying to be.

“I’m going straight to the point Soojin-ah…” 

Her father’s words trail off as he clears his throat and straightens his sitting. Soojin heaves a long inhale of breath to prepare whatever he will say to her.

“There will be a corporate ball on Friday and I want you to come with us, your mother and I.” 

He wasn’t even asking Soojin if she would like to come, it’s more of a command and to be honest she's used to being told what to do all your life. It doesn’t surprise her anymore.

“Okay.” 

Were the only response she gave and her mother let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh let’s go shopping for dresses tomorrow, my darling! I can’t wait to take you out.” 

Soojin's mother claps her hands enthusiastically with a dreamy look on her face.

“Me too, mom.” 

Soojin gave her a stale reply and her smile dropped almost immediately.

“What is wrong, dear?” 

Her mother asks.

“I’m sorry mom, I’m just tired that’s all,” 

Soojin said as she tries to give her a smile, but it feels more like a grimace to her.

“Oh honey, I will send vitamins and supplements to help your jet lag. Go back to your room now and rest, I will see you tomorrow.” 

Her mother stood up from her seat to walk around where she was and gave her a warm kiss on the forehead. She stood Soojin up from the couch and walked her to the door. She didn’t even protest and just followed suit. She gave Soojin another kiss on the cheek before closing the door behind her.

— — —

As Soojin look at her own reflection in the mirror; her hair up in a low side bun with loose curls framing her made-up face. Face and eyes dusted lightly with muted colors, but lips as red as the long backless dress that hugs her toned body perfectly. Soojin sees herself but she know that is not the real her.

“You look so beautiful Ms. Lee.” 

Soojin’s newly appointed personal assistant, Mia, compliments her as she enters the bedroom of her hotel suite. Mia gives her a warm smile and she knew she’s not just saying that. Soojin can tell in Mia’s eyes that she really means it.

“Thank you, Mia.” 

Soojin acknowledges her praise and offer her the same warm beam she gave her. Mia kneels down beside her to fix the hem of her red gown.

“It’s time to go, my dear.” 

Soojin hears her mother call out for her from the outside of the room. Her parents were waiting for her as she was getting dolled up simultaneously by six people, including her mother’s own makeup artist. He said it’s the first time he saw Soojin and didn’t know she existed until now. Soojin smiled politely and told him that she was studying abroad since she was a child and not exiled by her own flesh and blood. He doesn’t need to know that part of her life.

“I’m coming…” 

You called back out a response and your PA handed you a small Swarovski clutch that matches your shoes and the simple diamonds you personally picked to accessorize your ears, neck, wrist, and finger. Thankfully, your phone perfectly fit the clutch and you inserted it inside and closed it before glancing back in the mirror in front of you. Once you’re satisfied with your appearance, you turn your heels to the direction of the slightly ajar door to exit, your PA tailing your every move.

“Oh, you are so breathtakingly beautiful, darling!” 

Your mother clapped her palms together once she saw you. Her eyes twinkle as she reaches out to you for a hug. You gladly accept her arms and she squeezed you ever so slightly as to not ruin both your clothes. Your father cleared his throat that made you look at him and his lips are slightly curled up in a minuscule smile but he immediately dropped it when he realized you’re looking.

You think thirty minutes into the program of the banquet the people would finally stop looking your way. But you are wrong; a lot of them are still sneaking a glance or two down your way where you were situated. Some a look of adoration and some are blank. But you choose to ignore them just as much as your parents did. They are probably used to being stared at being one of the richest people in this country.

“Let’s welcome on the stage, the third generation owner and former CEO of Byun Group of Companies, Chairman Byun, and his son, the current CEO Mr. Byun Baekhyun.” 

The host calls out and every soul inside the big banquet hall applauded. You placed your clutch on the table and proceeded to clap your hands a few times before dropping them on your lap.

An older man about the same age as your father walked up the stage with his head held high and another man who is taller and younger with navy blue suit walking behind him. His mid-brown colored hair brushed up in a side sweep style. From where you were seated, you can tell he is very handsome. And for a brief moment, your eyes met with his. He gave you the smallest, tiniest smile before he looks away from you and proceeded to walk the steps up the stage. Your heart skipped a beat after the microscopic interaction.

“As you all know, we are all gathered here tonight to celebrate the CEO position of Byun Group of Companies being filled by my only son Baekhyun…” 

You were awoken from your thoughts when the older man mentions the name of the handsome heir that you locked eyes with minutes ago.

“We are also celebrating another ten years of partnership with Lee Transport Group, one of the world’s largest shipping company based here in our mother land, owned by my very close friend since childhood, Lee Seungho.” 

Chairman Byun pointed at your father and the people roared with applause and happy congratulatory cries.

Your father pointed back at Chairman Byun with a happy smile you haven’t seen in a while. He stood up from his chair and walked to your direction. He stopped right in front of you and held out his palm up, in front of your face and he motioned for you to take his hand. You looked at your mother from beside you and she gave you a smile and a tiny assuring wink. Without any more hesitation, you took your father’s hand and let him lead the way. He probably just wants you to accompany him on stage, which your mother always do when functions and parties like this happen back when you were younger.

When you reached the stage, the host, who you happen to know as a well-known actor (Who Mia said she is a big fan of) motioned for you to stand beside the handsome Byun Baekhyun. You looked at the young man, who is, if you were being honest, even more, handsome up close, and are looking at you expectantly. His smile widens after he was done checking you out from head to toe. ‘Wow, really?’ you thought to yourself. You anticipated that he’s a really respectable man because he is a CEO after all, but you guess all men are still men.

You gave both men a small smile, trying hard not to roll your eyes and have them stuck permanently inside your head. When you stood beside Baekhyun, your shoulders almost touching his, the smell of his after shave or cologne hit your nose. It’s a very expensive musky smell and to your surprise, it’s not overpowering. The scent was soft but manly, not the smell you’re used to with boys back at University.

“Thank you for that remarkable introduction, my friend.” 

Your father spoke over the microphone. The applause and congratulatory cries are slowly dying down.

“I remember when my company was starting three decades ago, my friend here, Chairman Byun helped me a lot. He invested his time and effort to train me to be a business man. And in return, I gave him my loyalty. And to be honest there is no reason to not be loyal to Byun Group of Companies. Ever since the partnership started, both companies grew and never stopped growing ever since.” 

You father stopped and stepped away from the microphone. He pointed to the space he occupied for Chairman Byun to continue the collaborative speech. To which Chairman Byun happily obliged.

“And with that, we are happy to announce to all of you tonight the official engagement of not just the companies, but also our children.” 

Instantly, your smile faltered and snapped your neck to look at Baekhyun. He has the same shocked expression as you. You were about to speak up and protest to your father, but Baekhyun’s hand encircled your wrist to stop you.

“Smile.” 

He whispered in your ear as he led you to the front of the stage for the photographers to snap a million pictures of you and Baekhyun.

Your head started to spin and suddenly Baekhyun’s arm snaked around your hips to support you. You can hear the shutter sounds of the cameras and the applause of the crowd in the banquet hall. You lightly tug on Baekhyun’s suit and it made him gaze down on you. His smile reeled when he saw your obviously fake and twisted smile. He waved at the crowd for the last time and proceeded to usher you down the stage and out of the banquet hall.

***50% edited from 2nd to 3rd POV***